28 February 2004

The completion of the building shell for The Salvation Army's new International Headquarters (IHQ) has been marked by a 'topping out' ceremony. The building, which is due to be finished in October 2004, replaces the previous headquarters on the same site in the heart of London, England. The short, informal ceremony was led by Commissioner Brian Taylor, The Salvation Army's International Secretary for Business Administration.

The new state-of-the-art Salvation Army headquarters, in Queen Victoria Street, will provide modern technology and an ergonomically planned working space for its 160 employees. International Headquarters is responsible for administering Salvation Army work in 109 countries, overseeing more than 1.5 million members and 110,000 employees. The Christian organisation runs thousands of schools, hospitals, churches, community centres and hostels for homeless people worldwide. In 2003 it provided emergency relief to over six million people.

The 101 Queen Victoria Street location is the original site that The Salvation Army's Founder, William Booth, purchased in 1881 to be the headquarters of a rapidly-expanding movement. The previous building, opened in 1963 as a replacement for one which was destroyed in the Second World War, was no longer appropriate for the expanding work of the modern Salvation Army.

The headquarters for the work in the UK, which had previously shared the building with IHQ, moved to Newington Causeway in South London in 1999, giving an opportunity to redevelop and provide an efficient 21st-century building which is appropriate for administering the worldwide activities and mission of the Army.

The portion of the site The Salvation Army no longer required (approximately two-thirds) was sold on a 150-year lease for £15.4 million to Hines Real Estate Holdings Partnership Ltd, enabling The Salvation Army to construct its new building on the site without incurring any further cost to the organisation. The Army retains the freehold for the entire site and will also receive a guaranteed five per cent portion of the rents received from the commercial development, resulting in a minimum income of £200,000 per year towards the operational costs of International Headquarters.

The new building will include a contemporary public cafe area with photos and resources about the international work of The Salvation Army. The cafe will be open to the general public and will be clearly visible and easily accessible from the popular footpath leading from St Paul's Cathedral to the Tate Modern Gallery, via the Millennium Footbridge over the River Thames.

'We felt it was essential that we took this opportunity to "open up" The Salvation Army to anyone who is interested in our work around the world,' commented Commissioner Brian Taylor, who has overseen the development for The Salvation Army. 'It was also important to us that we did not squander what is a valuable asset, but equally that we acted as good stewards of what we have. We hope that thousands of tourists and visitors will come into our building every year.'

The estimated value of the new Salvation Army building is £22 million. Staff were moved out of the old headquarters in 2000 and, for the last three years, have shared facilities with The Salvation Army's college in South London. The proposals for the Queen Victoria Street site were submitted and approved by the Charity Commission.

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