To the untrained eye and to most of its residents, it is a grim and dilapidated concrete block that looks distinctly out of place alongside the flashy glass structures of Canary Wharf near by. But to eminent leaders of the architectural world, it is a heritage icon and posterchild for 20th-century high-rise living that must be preserved.

A campaign to save Robin Hood Gardens, a rundown East London council estate that boasts million-pound views, will come to a close tomorrow when the deadline expires for submissions on whether it should be granted heritage status.

Lord Rogers of Riverside, Lord Foster of Thamesbank and Zaha Hadid are among those architects who were galvanised into action by a proposal by Tower Hamlets Council to demolish the Poplar estate, designed in the 1960s by Peter and Alice Smithson and completed in 1972.

They claim that it is a modern masterpiece and the seminal project of its era, but their call for the estate to be listed was rejected by English Heritage, although its own advisory committee recommended that it be preserved under Grade II listed status.

Margaret Hodge, the Culture Minister, will now consider the building's future after hundreds of architects, developers and other interested parties signed a petition calling for it be saved.

In a letter to Ms Hodge and Andy Burnham, the Culture Secretary, Lord Rogers even claimed that the structure was “as good, if not better” than any other modern building in Britain and its layout was reminiscent of Bath's great Georgian crescents.

“It would be a real tragedy and a terrible mistake to demolish this important and extraordinary piece of modern architecture,” he wrote.

Although Lord Rogers and others laud the building as a hallmark of brutalist architecture, which involves extensive use of concrete, many of its residents say that it is just plain brutal. A survey revealed that eight out of ten residents would like to be rehoused by the council while the structure is demolished and replaced with new apartments.

Claims that the estate's two buildings are an innovative reflection of urbanism did not resonate well with Aminata Evora, 25, as she made her way in a leaking lift to her eighth-floor flat. Although the views of Canary Wharf are spectacular, the balcony is too narrow to allow Ms Evora to enjoy them. “Its a good location but it's just the way it looks. It's awful,” she said.

“They will do some good if they knock it down. But I do worry about that. I just think anything new will be built for the people who are more wealthy.”

Supporters do not deny that it needs refurbishment and blame its bleakness on a lack of maintenance over three decades. Simon Smithson, the son of its architects, told The Times that there were “indisputable reasons” to save the building because of its historical relevance and design qualities such as the use of space and proportion. He said that it was an “almost audacious experiment” to improve social housing and it would be a tragedy if it were eradicated.

However, Roger Bowdler, head of designations for English Heritage, said that the experiment had failed and this was a key issue in considering whether it should be listed. “Did it produce a contented community? No it didn't. It can photograph really well and is quite powerful, but it is quite bleak and stark.”

The industry magazine Building Design has led the campaign to save the estate, claiming that although it needed a big makeover it was an important modern building.

BRUTALIST STRUCTURES

Park Hill, Sheffield Robin Hood’s cousin, a postwar council estate. Now Grade II listed and being refurbished

South Bank Centre, London Recommended by English Heritage for listing

Trinity Centre car park, Gateshead Demolition plans caused a community outcry. Campaigners sought listed status unsuccessfully and it was closed last month

Pimlico School, London Several attempts to have it listed failed. It will be demolished and rebuilt

Tricorn Centre, Portsmouth Voted the third-ugliest building in Britain and demolished in 2004 despite a campaign to save it

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