Baskerville House (Birmingham)
United Kingdom /
England /
Birmingham /
Cambridge Street
World
/ United Kingdom
/ England
/ Birmingham
World / United Kingdom / England
office building, 1938_construction, Grade II Listed (UK)
Baskerville House is the only built part of the 1930s Civic Centre plan for Birmingham city centre. Designed by T. Cecil Howlett, it was to form part of a wider scheme facing onto Broad Street of civic offices and facilities, incorporating the Hall of Memory and Municipal Bank on the opposite side of the road.
Construction commenced in 1938 but was brought to an abrupt halt due to World War II. The building was completed, albeit to seven eighths of Howlett's original design (brick is used rather than stone in the hastily completed areas), in the 1940s, by which time the Civic Centre plan had fallen out of fashion in terms of design and purpose. A model of William Haywood's 1941 Civic Centre masterplan and design is on display at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.
The building became offices for Birmingham City Council who then vacated the building in 1998. It received Grade II listed status in 2001. Plans were made first to convert it into a hotel, and then as a replacement to Central Library. Both were shelved.
The building was subsequently sold to Targetfollow who proposed to convert into offices. This was approved and it was completely gutted and extended two floors upwards to provide office space on seven floors, and a health club in the basement. Work started in August 2003 and was completed in early 2007 at an estimated cost of £30 million. There is 195,108 sq ft (18,126.1 m2) of office space within the building with floorplates of 27,000 sq ft (2,500 m2). The two new floors are of steel and glass. A lighting scheme was added to the exterior by Hoare Lea Lighting of the Hoare Lee group who were also commissioned for other aspects of the build.
www.baskervillehouse.co.uk/
Construction commenced in 1938 but was brought to an abrupt halt due to World War II. The building was completed, albeit to seven eighths of Howlett's original design (brick is used rather than stone in the hastily completed areas), in the 1940s, by which time the Civic Centre plan had fallen out of fashion in terms of design and purpose. A model of William Haywood's 1941 Civic Centre masterplan and design is on display at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.
The building became offices for Birmingham City Council who then vacated the building in 1998. It received Grade II listed status in 2001. Plans were made first to convert it into a hotel, and then as a replacement to Central Library. Both were shelved.
The building was subsequently sold to Targetfollow who proposed to convert into offices. This was approved and it was completely gutted and extended two floors upwards to provide office space on seven floors, and a health club in the basement. Work started in August 2003 and was completed in early 2007 at an estimated cost of £30 million. There is 195,108 sq ft (18,126.1 m2) of office space within the building with floorplates of 27,000 sq ft (2,500 m2). The two new floors are of steel and glass. A lighting scheme was added to the exterior by Hoare Lea Lighting of the Hoare Lee group who were also commissioned for other aspects of the build.
www.baskervillehouse.co.uk/
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baskerville_House
Nearby cities:
Coordinates: 52°28'48"N 1°54'27"W
- Armed Forces Careers Office 0.5 km
- Ringway Centre 0.7 km
- Masshouse 1.1 km
- Edgbaston Mill 2.8 km
- Former CEGB Headquarters 8.8 km
- Sandvik HQ 10 km
- Wythall Green 11 km
- One Central Boulevard 14 km
- Harris Business Park 23 km
- Saxon Business Park 23 km
- Paradise 0.1 km
- Centenary Square 0.1 km
- Stour Valley Railway Tunnel 0.2 km
- International Convention Centre and Symphony Hall 0.3 km
- Arena Central development 0.3 km
- Birmingham City Centre 0.5 km
- The Mailbox 0.5 km
- Birmingham New Street station and Grand Central Shopping Centre 0.6 km
- Ladywood 1.3 km
- Edgbaston 4.8 km