The plan was to demolish the old office building at 85 Gracechurch Street in the heart of London’s financial district and construct a new 32-story tower in its place. But as demolition began, archaeologists made a staggering discovery in the site’s foundation: remarkably intact ruins of London’s first public building,

Archaeologists exploring the site of a planned 32-story office tower announced Thursday that they have unearthed the remains of a Roman basilica that once stood at the heart of the city known as Londinium.

Sophie Jackson of the Museum of London Archaeology hailed the find as "one of the most significant discoveries" in recent years within London's oldest quarter, the City. This square-mile area, now dominated by modern skyscrapers, sits atop layers of history, from Victorian and medieval structures to these newly discovered Roman remains.