Philip Hardwick designed the first station, which opened on July 20, 1837 as the London terminus of the London and Birmingham Railway. His Euston Arch, a 72-foot (22 m) portico on four Doric columns, was completed in 1838. His son Philip Charles Hardwick designed the Great Hall, opened in 1849, which measured 125 by 61 feet and had a double staircase.
Demolition of the Arch and Great Hall began on November 6, 1961, despite a campaign led by John Betjeman. The Royal Institute of British Architects called it one of the greatest acts of post-war architectural vandalism in Britain. William Robert Headley and Ray Moorcroft of British Railways, with Richard Seifert & Partners, designed the replacement in International Modern style. Queen Elizabeth II opened it on October 14, 1968.
Seifert added three office blocks from 1979. Euston is the London terminus for HS2, and the article says the Arch's rebuilding has been proposed since 1996.
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