The first Roman basilica found in London will soon be incorporated into modern architecture—blending ‘then’ and ‘now’ into one.

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,

The 2,000-year-old basilica was “once the beating heart of Roman London,” the Museum of London Archaeology said.