My time in the United Kingdom has opened my eyes to many different forms of art and performance that I rarely experience in the states. Early on this trip I attended a show at a contemporary dance school called The Place. Like nearly all buildings in London, the structure that houses this dance school has a long and rich history. Originally built in 1889, the building was home to a drill-hall for training soldiers of the British military. Unfortunately, I was unable to find reliable resources about this particular drill hall, however, upon further research I found some interesting information about these types of buildings. According to the Drill Hall Register, drill halls were not just meant for training purposes, but also were well known and quite prominent in the early 19th century for their detailed architecture. Furthermore, as much as soldiers utilized drill halls for training and socializing with fellow militia, drill halls were a site of many communal events, making them extremely well-known throughout London. It wasn’t until 1969 that this building became somewhat of a theater of dance and other performances. In the late 1990s renovations made The Place more accommodating to people with disabilities and fire safety laws while maintaining the building's original Victorian style. Today, The Place serves as a school that encourages people of all ages, talents, and abilities to learn the art of dancing. I would argue it contributes to London’s culture today as much as it did a century ago, though in an entirely different way. I find it fascinating and admirable how London is able to preserve such a vast amount of architecture and repurpose many establishments for modern objectives. I think it is really beautiful that a building that was once used for artillery training can now be something completely different: home to contemporary dance. 

Sources: 

Powell, Kenneth. “A sense of Place.” Architects’ Journal. 18 October 2001. https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/archive/a-sense-of-place 

“Drill Hall Register: A List of the locations of London Drill Halls since 1908.” A tribute to the Military Reserves of Greater London. 

https://www.steppingforwardlondon.org/assets/docs/sections/17.pdf