Historic Hornsey Town Hall reopens after landmark restoration
Art Deco landmark returns to public use as a new cultural and community destination in the heart of Crouch End, North London.
- The Grade II* listed building has been subject to a heritage-led restoration, seeing it officially removed from Historic England’s ‘Heritage At Risk’ Register
- It features a revived arts centre, Dao by Dorsett aparthotel, new homes and public spaces for the local community.
Following six years of sensitive restoration, one of North London’s most architecturally significant civic buildings, Hornsey Town Hall, a Grade II* listed Art Deco landmark in Crouch End, is once again open to the public.
After decades of decline, the 241,200 sq ft building has been brought back to life as a vibrant hub for community, culture and enterprise. The revival – delivered by FEC in collaboration with Make Architects, Historic England, and Dorsett Hotels – aimed to protect its architectural legacy, while securing its future for generations to come.
Originally completed in 1935, the Town Hall was one of Britain’s earliest examples of modernist municipal architecture. Once the administrative heart of Hornsey Borough Council, the building fell into disrepair and was added to Historic England’s ‘Heritage At Risk’ register due to concerns about its deteriorating condition.
The ‘Heritage At Risk’ register pinpoints historic buildings and areas most threatened by neglect, decay or unsuitable development and serves as a national call to safeguard the country’s most vulnerable heritage sites.
As a result of the heritage-led regeneration undertaken at Hornsey Town Hall, the building has successfully been removed from the register – representing a significant achievement of restoration and one that secures its long-term future. Historic England and Haringey Council have played a central advisory role throughout this process, supporting FEC and Make Architects in delivering one of the capital’s most celebrated examples of adaptive reuse.
As a result, visitors can now access the restored assembly hall, council chambers and committee rooms, each returned to their original design intent through a detailed programme of conservation. Original Art Deco features have been reinstated, including the welcome desk and lift doors, while new furniture and fittings have been selected to complement the building’s 1930s aesthetic and the vision of original architect Reginald Uren.
A destination for culture, community and hospitality
Beyond the restoration of the historic spaces, the redevelopment has reimagined Hornsey Town Hall as a modern multi-purpose destination. The scheme includes new public areas, a lifestyle aparthotel operated by Dao by Dorsett, and 146 new homes designed to integrate seamlessly with the original structure. General Projects was also appointed earlier this year to manage the operation and activation of the Town Hall. Overseen by its management arm, General People, the building will offer a range of workplace and event spaces designed to bring new life and creativity back to its historic calls.
As part of the reopening, the public will be welcomed back into the popular Hornsey Town Hall Arts Centre and can expect to enjoy a curated, year-round programme designed to keep the building active and accessible. The calendar – which will be curated by cultural and community engagement specialists at AND London – will include performances, exhibitions, talks and wellness events, providing opportunities for local artists, residents and visitors to engage with the space in new ways.
To celebrate the reopening, a month-long series of community events will take place throughout December. Activities will include the Christmas on the Green festivities, a Hanukkah celebration and Menorah lighting, and a Grand Festive Launch on 6 December featuring a community market, live jazz performances, comedy in the Council Chamber, creative workshops and a ribbon-cutting ceremony with representatives from Haringey Council.
Local organisations including Crouch End Festival, will be partnering with AND London, General Projects and FEC to deliver the events, supported by local traders, performers and community groups.
Nick Poon, Head of Projects at FEC, said:
“Bringing such a culturally and historically significant building back into public use has been a huge privilege for everyone involved. This restoration has taken years of considered collaboration and care, guided by a shared commitment to do justice to the Town Hall’s heritage while giving it a new lease of life and protecting it for future generations to enjoy. The result is a place that balances history and modern amenity, but more importantly, a place where the local community can come together to work, celebrate and connect – and seeing that happen again is exactly what this project was all about.”
Jacob Loftus, CEO of General Projects said:
“We are proud to have been entrusted with shaping the building’s next chapter, bringing energy, ideas and opportunity back into this extraordinary civic landmark. Working in collaboration with FEC and the council, we are excited to be opening this beautiful space to the community so that it can be enjoyed by local groups and creative businesses in the area who will become part of this building’s vibrant future.”
Katy Ghahremani, Make Director and Lead Project Architect, said:
“Hornsey Town Hall has been a long-running project at Make and one that has helped define our practice’s approach to social value, serving a cross section of Crouch End, with all generations able to use and benefit from the building. Local public consultation was an important part of defining the project, ensuring we could maintain the building’s civic purpose for the modern era while also honouring Reginald Uren’s original architecture. In some ways he made that easy for us, as the bones of the building were so well designed in the first place. It has been a joy to bring his vision back to life.”
Andrew Sissons, Managing Director, at AND London said:
“It has been great to work closely with and build new relationships with the local community in Crouch End. Hornsey Town Hall is an iconic, cherished building and the people of Crouch End are passionate and feel a strong sense of ownership. That sense of ownership and pride is something we wanted to preserve and strengthen. Our role has been to ensure the building doesn’t just look beautiful, but that it’s animated with creativity and culture and maintains a strong foundation of local programming and involvement.
Claire Brady, Development Advice Team Leader at Historic England, said:
“The restoration of Hornsey Town Hall is a shining example of what can be achieved when heritage, design and community come together. Successfully removing the building from the Heritage at Risk Register after many years is a great achievement. It’s wonderful to see this landmark returned to use and celebrated as it deserves.”