Oxo Tower

The Oxo Tower is a masterclass in architectural rebellion. When the Liebig Extract of Meat Company acquired the site in the late nineteen twenties to use as a cold storage facility, they desperately wanted to emblazon their famous beef cube brand across the London skyline. Local planning authorities, however, strictly prohibited illuminated riverside advertising. The company architect, Albert Moore, bypassed this ban entirely by designing the tower with vertical rows of windows shaped like two circles and a cross. These geometric cutouts allowed the building to spell the company name, OXO, on all four sides. Because the letters were structural features rather than applied signs, the company successfully claimed they were architecture, not advertising, and the design remains a permanent fixture of the Thames waterfront.