Transport for London, the operator of the British capital’s underground rail network, has come under fire for the destruction of three Eduardo Paolozzi mosaic arches worth £100,000 ($113,648) during the modernization of Tottenham Court Road Station, Artlyst reports.
The massive public outcry and a 8,000 signature-strong petition launched by the 20th Century Society fell on deaf ears. The failure to preserve the iconic public artwork has been described by the press as “one of the biggest acts of cultural vandalism in recent memory.”
“I am absolutely disgusted in the disregard from the general public in this whole process,” commented Etal Smallmann, who organized the petition. “The fact that the decision was made without involving members of the public is an outrage.”
Conservationists have also lashed out at architects Hawkins Brown, accusing the firm of destroying the arches to keep costs down.
In a statement TFL said “We have extensively explored the possibility of removing the arch tiles individually but less than five percent could be removed undamaged because of the particularly rich mortar in which they are set.”
However according to Artlyst an anonymous expert refuted this account, claiming that each whole arch could have been cut out of the wall— an option that wasn’t considered by TFL.
The large entrance panel at the former Oxford Street station, however, will be saved and relocated.