Promenade plots Queen Square hotel
Promenade Estates has submitted plans to convert the listed No2 Queen Square in Liverpool, designed by Sir Alfred Waterhouse, into a 43-bed boutique hotel.
The building overlooking St John’s Gardens and St George’s Hall was formerly the headquarters of Pearl Assurance and adjoins the Marriott Hotel, also developed by Promenade Estates in the 1990s.
Designed by Falconer Chester Hall with Curtins as engineer, the hotel will be developer’s fifth in the region. The Dr Duncan’s pub on the ground floor is unaffected by the application.
An operator for the hotel has not yet been confirmed.
“It’s the perfect location for a high quality boutique offering,” said Promenade chairman Peter Hynd. “Those who visit the city for its architecture and culture will love the Alfred Waterhouse link and the fact that the Walker Art Gallery is over the road.
“We understand the regional hotel market and also the operational issues, having been active investors in all our hotel properties.”
The conversion at Queen Square follows a number of disposals by Promenade in the last 12 months, including the fully-let Marine Point development in New Brighton to Aprirose; the Ramada Plaza in Southport to Bliss Estates; and a waterfront residential scheme overlooking Liverpool’s Albert Dock to Vista Fund.
It also disposed of The Observatory, a 21,000 sq ft building forming part of the wider Queen Square site, in February this year. It was sold to housing provider Torus for £3.65m.
The nearby North Western Hall, also designed by Waterhouse, is being converted into a 202-bed hotel by Worthington Group.
Alfred Waterhouse, born in Liverpool with offices in Manchester, was one of the North West’s greatest architects: Manchester Town Hall; the North Western Hotel, Liverpool; Liverpool and Manchester university buildings were all by Waterhouse. In Liverpool the Ruabon red brick and highly decorated terracotta of the Victoria building gave rise to the term red-brick university. He also built the Royal Infirmary buildings adjacent to the Victoria building in the red-brick and terracotta he came to favour. These are now converted to university use and give Liverpool probably the largest surviving group of Waterhouse buildings. The Pearl assurance building, in sandstone, is exquisitely detailed inside and will make a great hotel opposite St. John’s Gardens.
By Roscoe
Another great asset for the visitor economy and such a lovely building, I remember going inside many years ago the features are really unique.
By Boom boom, book a room
I thought Alfred Waterhouse was the one with the dodgy eye off Brookside?
By Alright Laaa
When are Promenade going to get around to redeveloping the ABC on Lime Street, I wonder? Lime Street is now well & truly finished, and yet no sign of any development over the road.
1n 2018, they were saying it would start within months.
By JA
@JA Promenade isn’t the developer of the ABC Cinema. Wrong target, mate.
By Sceptical
Whilst Roscoe is someone I admire; his AW history is not complete. AW closed his Manchester office within months of his London office opening (and didn’t do much from it anyway….. Manchester Town Hall was largely a Liverpool office project). Whilst his accomplishments in Liverpool, and yet the wider Norwest go greatly unacknowledged; some of his London works are breathtaking…..e.g.; Natural History Museum,
By Billy