The Imperial Institute was an impressive building in South Kensington that was demolished in 1957 to make way for Imperial College London, famous for its excellence in the fields of science, engineering and medicine. Only the 287-foot (85-metre) high Queen's Tower remains among the more modern buildings today.
The building was designed by Thomas Colcutt and was originally intended as a national memorial of completion of the fiftieth year of Queen Victoria's reign. The foundation stone was laid by Queen Victoria in 1887, and it was opened by her in great state on May 10th, 1833. It was as intended as a centre for information and consultation on all matters connected with the Empire.