Capital Tower, Cardiff

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Capital Tower located in Cardiff, South Wales, otherwise known as Pearl House, is Wales and Cardiff's second tallest building / structure standing at 80m (262ft). The Millenium Stadiums 4 towers standing at 90m (295ft) that support the Stadiums retractable roof currently takes the crown as Wales tallest structure. At 78m (255ft), Stadium House, Cardiff didn't quite take the crown as Wales tallest building / structure either. The 125,000 sq ft tower was bought on 25 November 2002 for £17.4 million by Aberdeen Property Investors from the Raven Group. The building which houses several key clients including Admiral Insurance and regional government bodies has a varied past.

When the builders moved in during 1967 a historic site was ruthlessly excavated to make way for the building - including mass graves from the Black Death and the tomb of Llywelyn Bren, leader of the 1315 Welsh Revolt. Not only was the construction itself unpopular, but the building too. The building which could be seen from Bristol was seen as inappropriate for the city at the time. A star was put on the top at Christmas but the building seemed no more welcoming. In classic 1960s style the base was surrounded with by a paved concrete courtyard and a multi-storey car park.

A job centre, bookshop and galleries were built on the lower floors. However, in 1998, this was all swept away and replaced by a new set of developers. The book shop, galleries and job centre were replaced by café-bars and the car parks reclad. It was at this time the building received its new name - Capital Tower.