Help Me Save a Building from being Demolished in the City Centre

[crookesey 637]

There are very few buildings from this period left in this part of town. This part of town just consists of either new buildings or 60's crap. It always important for a city to have a mixture of architecture but if we keep knocking these buildings down we are not gonna have that. This building has been around for a long time since 1925 and has some great features. If this building was knocked down nothing would replace it and we would just be left with a big empty waste land in the city centre and it would prob be like that for years given the current economic climate(and Sheffield has too many empty wastelands in the city centre at the m moment). While the building is still there at least there would be a chance of someone occupying it. Yes it goes need a bit of a refab to bring it up to date for modern offices, but the people who own the building have know this for years and have done nothing about it. If new build office space in the city centre is not been let how do they expect this to be let?you can't just knock the building down because you can't be bothered to put the invest in to let it out, thats what I call architectural terrorism and also destroying part of Sheffield's heritage.

 

This part of the city has The Canal Basin, The Royal Victoria Hotel, The Alexandra Hotel, The Old Town Hall and the old Haymarket buildings are only a stroll away. The problem with this building is that it stands on the foundations of Sheffield Castle, that dates back to 1270.

[Mr Sheffield 10]

This part of the city has The Canal Basin, The Royal Victoria Hotel, The Alexandra Hotel, The Old Town Hall and the old Haymarket buildings are only a stroll away. The problem with this building is that it stands on the foundations of Sheffield Castle, that dates back to 1270.

 

This build does NOT stand on any of the castle remains, if you look at the report it stands on the edge of the site where the ditches were.The Alexandra Hotel is a **** pub mate, it's a B&B at best. The The Royal Victoria Hotel is from a different period it's from the mid 1800's.

Edited September 29, 2011 by Mr Sheffield

[crookesey 637]

This build does NOT stand on any of the castle remains, if you look at the report it stands on the edge of the site where the ditches were.The Alexandra Hotel is a **** pub mate, it's a B&B at best.

 

The Brown Bear on Norfolk Street is also a **** pub, but it's age is worthy of some respect. The map that I have seen clearly shows Exchange Street as being within the castle grounds.

[speedbirdone 10]

In the picture the OP posted of the building photographed way back in the day. The building looked quite good but now in 2011 the building looks rather dull and uninteresting.

 

As viewed on Google Streetview

 

http://g.co/maps/asxn2

 

http://g.co/maps/k4f2f

 

Sure throw a sack full of cash at it and it could no doubt look great again. So wheres the cash going to come from to do it.

[Mr Sheffield 10]

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The Brown Bear on Norfolk Street is also a **** pub, but it's age is worthy of some respect. The map that I have seen clearly shows Exchange Street as being within the castle grounds.

 

Yes some of exchange street is, but the building in question does not infringe on the castle remains it's on the corner of Exchange street. Hambeldon House is right next to where the river sheaf flows and if the building is retained it could make a nice little restaurant on the ground floor with the opened up again river Sheaf.

 

Here is a map of Exchange street and the castle remains

 

http://www.sheffieldhistory.co.uk/forums/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=12567

 

You can clearly see from this map that the building in question is nowhere near the castle remains as it is at the other side of the river Sheaf and bordering Blonk street

Edited September 29, 2011 by Mr Sheffield

[Dan_Ashcroft 10]

I also think there's bigger fish to fry than this one from a heritage pov, including Jessops Edwardian Hospital, which there are now plans to demolish.

[littlebonjuk 10]

Hi there,

 

Sorry to bother you again. Just wanted to check if you'd got my message. We'd be really keen to talk about the future of Hambleton house if you're interested.

 

It's such a huge and iconic building and judging from some of the responses to your post there'll be other people upset to hear that someone wants to knock it down.

 

COuld you let me know either way?

 

Yours,

 

Katherine Cowan

0114 2675 461

07787 162 777

[email protected]

[Yog Sothoth 10]

I like this building. If a new building goes up in its place, it will be a kit building, the equivalent of flat-pack furniture, and there will be almost identical buildings in every city in England.

 

Sheffield IS losing its identity. The industrial and commercial buildings which remain help define what made the city and what differentiates it from the likes of Leeds (who, incidentally, go to great lengths to preserve and re-use even modest and unimposing old buildings). The trend towards demolition and new build, or facade retention only, is pretty deplorable, and echoes the philistinism of the 60s and 70s, which saw some staggeringly beautiful buildings flattened to make way for some staggeringly drab ones, which are now worn out and ugly.

 

If the owners of places like the old Post Office, or the old Courts, or suchlike, won't do anything with them unless they get a permit to demolish and redevelop, then they should be CPO'ed and brought into public ownership, and redeveloped in partnership with someone who has genuine vision.

 

There were plans to demolish Leeds Corn Exchange once. Forward thinking individuals in both the Council and private sector made sure that didn't happen, and that it was developed into what it is now. Same with dozens of buildings in Leeds, large and small, city centre and beyond. We need that spirit here.

 

Leeds are even slowly pushing the redevelopment of Holbeck outwards from the Canal basin area, to eventually bring the fabulous Temple Mill into the overall scheme, which is currently in industrial wasteland hell, just beyond the lovely canalside developments...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Temple_Works.jpg

[djelibeybi 10]

Mr Sheffield, would Planning Policy Statement 5 be beneficial in your cause? It can be downloaded as a pdf for free halfway down the page xxx

Edited September 30, 2011 by djelibeybi
...missed a word out - numpty!

[Bulgarian 10]

I also think there's bigger fish to fry than this one from a heritage pov, including Jessops Edwardian Hospital, which there are now plans to demolish.

 

I thought the university were saving/using the bit thats left ?

[theflyingfish 10]

I really don't understand why people are saying that Sheffield is throwing up identikit buildings everywhere. There is actually some pretty interesting and lively contemporary architecture gone up in recent years.

 

For instance, the city looked like a hole when one used to leave the station, but the lovely square is a massive improvement and the skyline is much more interesting. The peace gardens, St Paul's Square, the univeristy music building, in fact many of the new university buildings have merit, there is the interestingly clad multi-storey car park, the University union to name but a few. Park Hill is going to look so much nicer when it is finished.

 

For a city where development doesn't generate much value in order to be really innovative in design (e.g. offices don't generate enough rent to pay for expensive materials, or expensive engineering), I think the Council does a good job in coaxing interesting designs out of developers despite the very slim margins that they are working to. Frankly, it is a wonder that development happens at all.

 

I also would have thought that there is a greater public benefit from the investment brought by redeveloping the building in question, than preserving it. The building is unlikely to have any active long term future, so why do people want an empty building in the city centre? That just says, 'welcome to Sheffield, stagnating since 1982'. That's the downside of keeping the buildng. Continued blight on the city centre.

 

I really don't understand what some people see in it, it has no architectural merit in my eyes.

[Yog Sothoth 10]

You could say that about many buildings in many cities, which have been restored and put to use, and which help define the city.