With the help of our community, we will take a look at Millennium Point, which is located in Eastside, Birmingham. It opened in September 2001 near Curzon Street. There used to be a car park out front, until Eastside City Park was built here from 2011 to 2012 (including the Thinktank Science Garden to the left).

Millennium Point was built by Nicholas Grimshaw & Partners from 1997 to 2001. The architects was Mason Richards. The venue was officially opened by Her Majesty the Queen on the 2nd July 2002 (during her Golden Jubilee year).

Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum is located in the left hand side of the building. Access from the escalators to Level 2. Birmingham City University (previously the University of Central England) and Birmingham Metropolitan College are also based here.

There was an IMAX cinema located at Millennium Point. It later became Giant Screen Cinema, but it closed down in late 2014 or early 2015. It is now something called Platform (used for conferences).

 

Millennium Point in 2009

At the time, you could walk all the way down Albert Street and onto Curzon Street to get to Millennium Point. There was a car park at the front of the building. This would close in 2011, before Eastside City Park was landscaped.

Millennium Point taken from Albert Street (April 2009). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

One last building to be demolished in the area was Rosa's Cafe, this was close to the Christopher Wray lighting site. It would be gone going into 2010.

Millennium Point from Albert Street before Rosa's Cafe was demolished (August 2009). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

Millennium Point in 2010

The remaining old buildings to the left on Albert Street were demolished. A year ahead of the building of Eastside City Park.

The snow in Eastside towards Millennium Point as seen from Albert Street (January 2010). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

Millennium Point in 2011

Albert Street and the car park in front of Millennium Point was closed. The area fenced off to allow the building of Eastside City Park, as well as the first phase of the Eastside Campus of Birmingham City University, which would become the Parkside Building.

Millennium Point from Curzon Street before Eastside City Park and the Parkside Building fo BCU were built. (September 2011). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

Millennium Point in 2012

Eastside City Park opened in late 2012. And there was new views of Millennium Point with the park, along with the Thinktank Science Garden. Construction was on going of the Parkside Building for BCU.

Eastside City Park was now paritially open. Millennium Point seen in the background (December 2012). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

Millennium Point in 2016

By this point both the Parkside Building and the Curzon Building for BCU were both complete and open. Plenty of nice vantage points of Millennium Point from Eastside City Park.

Millennium Point from Eastside City Park on a sunny day (December 2016). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

Millennium Point in 2020

With HS2 under way, Park Street and New Canal Street were closed to vehicles and pedestrians. So one way was to walk the long way around via Great Barr Street in Digbeth, then Lawley Middleway, then back onto Curzon Street. Just to get to Eastside. Alternatively, you could walk on the towpath of the Digbeth Branch Canal from Fazeley Street to Curzon Street. Many new buildings gone up, including the first phase of Exchange Square and 103 Colmore Row. During the lockdowns and tier restrictions, Millennium Point had been closed.

Millennium Point from Curzon Street in Eastside (October 2020). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

Millennium Point in 2021

Millennium Point as of January 2021, during the 3rd National Lockdown in England, has been opened as a Covid Vaccination Centre.