Preston Bus Station

This great Brutalist behemoth stands out among its otherwise ordinary surroundings. Its concrete curves show that even bus stations can flaunt a bit of architectural beauty.

Some say the Preston Bus Station was once the second largest bus station in all of Europe. Built in the late 60s, the station acted as a transportation hub for Lancashire for decades, remaining mostly untouched. It could serve 80 double-decker busses at once and had a five-floor parking lot that could fit 1,100 cars. According to the Twentieth Century Society, it’s one of the most important Brutalist buildings in the United Kingdom.

Yet as impressive as it is, the enormous bus station seemed doomed to meet a destructive end. For roughly a decade, it was dogged by demolition plans as the City Council prepared to revamp the neighborhood. But each time officials made plans to send the structure crashing down, locals rallied in favor of their beloved Brutalist building. English Heritage finally listed it as a protected building in 2013. Having secured its future, the building is included in a project to redevelop the dated Tithebarn district and is currently being transformed into a youth community center.