The Elephant Building
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| The Elephant, Coventry | |
|---|---|
 The Elephant viewed from the corner of Cox Street and Fairfax Street | |
 Interactive map of the The Elephant, Coventry area | |
| Alternative names | The Elephant Building |
| General information | |
| Type | Leisure centre |
| Architectural style | Brutalist |
| Location | Cox Street, Coventry, England |
| Coordinates | 52°24′32″N 1°30′12″W / 52.40878°N 1.50338°W |
| Construction started | 1974 |
| Completed | 1976 |
| Owner | Coventry City Council |
| Design and construction | |
| Architects | Terence Gregory, Harry Noble |
The Elephant Building is part of a leisure complex in Coventry city centre, England.[1] It was intended to extend the pre-existing Coventry Central Baths building, to which it is connected with an enclosed walkway (the "elephant's trunk").
The main building of the leisure complex was opened in 1966, providing Coventry with the region's only Olympic-size swimming pool with seating for spectators, making it a focal point for swimming in the West Midlands.[2] A ring road around Coventry was completed in 1972, leaving a small area of land either side of Cox Street at the end of the Coventry Baths building. The city architect's department designed a building to straddle the road, and construction started on the zinc-coated Elephant building in 1974.[1][3] After construction finished in 1976, the building was opened in 1977.[3] It was used as part of Coventry Sports & Leisure Centre until it was closed by Coventry City Council in February 2020.[4] The main building was Grade II listed in 1997, but the Elephant itself is not listed.[5]