Throwback: Vista Room Views
All in all, working from home has been a good experience. But a few of us are certainly itching to get back into the office!
That’s why we’re sharing this article, originally written back in 2017 by then-“Friend” staff member Hannah, about a favourite part of our building: the Vista Room.
We’ll be back there soon. But in the meantime, we’re sure office cat Marmalade is keeping it safe for us.
I’m sure you’re all familiar with our old-turned-new DC Thomson headquarters in Albert Square.
If not, we’re that architectural gem sitting just across from the stunning McManus Galleries!
Once shrouded in scaffolding and secrecy, this 20th century building finally shed its reconstructive skin earlier this year, and became a bit of a city centrepiece.
I wasn’t here to witness the move of nearly 600 staff members from Kingsway back to the city centre.
But I have been getting a sneak peek into the building’s best bits. It felt a little selfish to keep that to myself!
The cherry on top
Just the other day, I took a little wander – by elevator – up to the 10th floor of the tower building.
This is where the triple-glazed cherry on top sits. The Vista Room!
Photograph by Hannah McLaren.
It was a fairly sunny day when I visited, so the views were tremendous.
The windows were so wide that I felt a bit like a pilot of some alien spacecraft, particularly interested in studying the habits of Dundonians.
It was funny watching everyone below, going about their day to day business, not knowing I was watching them . . . with a sudden interest in their mundane trip to the corner shop.
Photograph by Hannah McLaren.
You can see almost every inch of the city centre from the Vista Room.
Looking down on familiar streets, you suddenly don’t recognise half the little alleyways among many twists and turns in the sandstone landscape. This is vantage point is truly seagull territory.
Photograph by Hannah McLaren.
All of sudden you’re looking at Dundee as an architectural timeline; the variety of buildings and rooftops and bridges and more are impressions of decades gone by.
You realise that you roam in the city a bit like an ant crawls the grass, unaware of the beautiful bigger picture to which each blade contributes.
I don’t know if the Vista Room will ever be hired out to the public as a function room.
But if you ever get the chance to visit DC Thomson on Meadowside, take in the view and a heap of perspective with a eye-opening visit to our spectacular Vista Room.
For more from the “Friend” team, read our blog here.
