The Christian Mission Headquarters, Whitechapel Road, became the Army's first International Headquarters in 1880. However, the Founder soon decided that a move into the City of London would be beneficial and in 1881 IHQ was moved to 101 Queen Victoria Street.
Sixty years after this move the IHQ building was destroyed by fire during the Second World War. The rebuilt headquarters was opened by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, in 1963.
In 2001, IHQ took up residence in the William Booth College (the officers' training college in South London) when it was decided to redevelop the site in Queen Victoria Street. The new building was opened by HRH The Princess Royal on 9 November 2004.
The current building, designed by architect Andrew Chadwick, is a frugal building. This is best demonstrated by the fact that in selling a 150-year lease on the commercial property constructed on the rest of the site, the new IHQ has been built and equipped at almost no cost to The Salvation Army. The leasehold will even continue to generate funds which will go some way to funding the ongoing work of IHQ. Transparency is a key element to the design, with the building's outer shell made mainly of glass - decorated with verses from the Bible. Members of the public are invited to enjoy food and mix with staff in Café 101, a friendly area where the human side of The Salvation Army becomes as clear as the building itself.