Designed by George Grey Wornum and officially opened on 8th November 1934 by King George V, the design of 66 Portland Place was part of a competition to create a new home for the Royal Institute of British Architects after outgrowing the original HQ at 9 Conduit Street.
Image credit: Pete Lowe
A building designed for architects by architects, 66 Portland Place features numerous signs and symbols throughout that represent its history and heritage, but you have to look carefully! There are numerous images of people who worked on the building that can be identified throughout its design features.
Image credit: Matt Chung Photography
These include the bronze bust of Wornum, the architects wife Miriam Wornum within the window arch - representing the perpendicular style – in plaster relief on the staircase between the 1st and 2nd floors, a self-portrait of the sculptor James Woodford in the bronze entrance doors and plaster ceiling relief in the Florence Hall as the ‘electrician’ and glass engraver Jan Juta in plaster ceiling relief in the Florence Hall as the ‘engraver’.
Image credit: Matt Chung Photography
The lions of the RIBA crest can also be found throughout the building in three different versions, including ‘fat and thin’ – in glass on the staircase balustrades, the iron balustrades and the exterior iron railings. Next time you’re at the venue, make sure you keep your eyes peeled to see what how many of these features you can find!
66 Portland Place was granted Grade II* status on 14th September 1970, and today it is home to RIBA’s architectural galleries, the RIBA Library, the RIBA Café, the RIBA bookshop and more. To enquire about hosting an event in this architectural gem in Central London, contact the team: venues@riba.org / 020 7307 3888