DIC Building Cross Street Manchester

Also known as   Midland Bank House, Cross Street Manchester

THE NEW CROSS STREET BUILDING - The design submitted by Messrs J C Prestwich and Sons of Leigh, for the new building next to the Royal Exchange, Manchester, has been selected by Professor C H Reilly, the adjudicator, as the best out of the thirteen competitors. He commends also the plans drawn up by H S Fairhurst, of Manchester, and those designed jointly by Mr G H Willoughby of Manchester and Blackpool and Messrs Rees and Holt of Liverpool. The site to be occupied is next to the south-western corner of the Exchange, with its front facing Cross Street and its back Half Moon Street; the superficial area of the site is about 447 square yards. The decision of the professor, which was made on plans distinguished by numbers, not names, was communicated to Mr Arnold Williams, the chairman of the D I C House (cross Street) Limited, yesterday, and the names of the winners were disclosed by examination of the numbered list of entrants. Unless an unforeseen obstacle arises, the work of demolishing the building at present occupying the site will begin very shortly, so that the site should be ready for the new work in the early part of the new year.

Apart from the merit of the design, which is to be discussed in these columns by Professor Reilly, the building has its peculiar advantage to those who frequent the city. Its front will not extend into Cross Street as the present building does, but will continue the building line of the Royal Exchange, thus relieving a busy corner of much of its traffic pressure. When it is finished its design will be seen, as Professor Reilly informs us, as a very simple version of an Italian Renaissance Palace design; a straightforward building of Portland stone, with plain granite piers on the ground floor and roughly of the height of the height of the Manchester Liners Building which stands back to back with it. This is literally in accordance with the conditions of entry laid down by the directors. They expressed the desire “to obtain a building of the greatest possible dignity consistent with their requirements. For this purpose they suggested that the building should be designed both internally and externally in as broad and simple a manner as possible.” It was to contain eight storeys and a basement, the upper floors to be let for offices. The ground floor was to be for shops, and the office storey immediately above was to be made to let with the shops and have separate entrances from them. The cost of the building on estimate was not to exceed materially £42,000. The whole of the thirteen sets of plans, it is hoped, will shortly be exhibited in Manchester, probably with the designs submitted for the Masonic Hall to be built in Bridge Street; the public therefore will have the opportunity of seeing how the architects met the conditions required by the directors. The company which was formed to build the D I C House was capitalised with £55,000; this amount was divided into 50,000 cumulative preference shares of £1 at 7½ per cent, and 100,000 ordinary shares at one shilling. Mr Samuel Alfred Houldsworth, of Manchester, is named as manager in the prospectus. [Manchester Guardian 7 November 1923 page 11]

A NEW BUILDING FOR MANCHESTER – The illustration is a perspective drawing of the design for a new office building on the site of the present Edinburgh Life Building, next to the Royal Exchange which has been placed first in the recent competition among thirteen selected Manchester architects. The promoters of this building desired a simple, strong structure with a plan sufficiently flexible to allow the floor space on each floor to be readily divisible to meet the requirements of tenants. In the winning scheme Messrs J G Prestwich and Sons, of Leigh, by keeping the stairs, lifts and public space to the side of the site on which light could not be obtained, though lit from either end, were able to provide a practically unencumbered floor at every level. The height of the building was determined by that of the building at the back for the Manchester Liners. The winners have produced a building which, while answering the above will look a strong impressive structure when erected. In the drawing, owing to the point of view taken, the building has a rather stark appearance. In reality, the shadow of the cornice will not be so strong, and the stonework will give a more modulated surface. The building is to be built of Portland stone above a ground floor of grey Cornish granite. This ground floor, with the shop windows near the surface of the granite, is well managed. Although large areas of glass are obtained for the windows, the flat piers of granite, while sufficiently strong in appearance for the load above, will not complete in interest with goods in the shop windows. Indeed this portion of the design seems to offer a very good solution to the shop-front difficulty. It is to be hoped that when it is erected the owners will exercise some control over any lettering which may be placed on this fine plain granite surface. The Italian balcony above the first floor windows is a pleasant feature, marking the transition from shops below to offices above.

In the drawing the rustication – that is the channelled lines of the stonework on the canted corner and on the balancing piece at the other end of the façade – appears to contrast with the plain stonework more strongly than it would in the actual building. This, like the shadow of the main cornice already mentioned, gives the building a harder appearance than it would actually have, an appearance which the reproduction of the water-colour drawing cannot help accentuating.

The main thing about the design is that the architects have got their effect by spacing and proportion and not by any over-emphasised ornament, as is far too common. Messrs Prestwich and Sons have been very successful in recent competitions, having won, among other things, the Blackpool War Memorial. Their work is always executed with care, and exhibits much feeling for the value of texture and surface. I look forward to their Cross Street building, when completed, as a valuable addition to Manchester architecture, and congratulate Mr Arnold Williams and the promoters of the D I C House on their public-spirited action in holding a competition among Manchester architects to obtain the best possible building not only for their own purposes but for its position in the town. [C H Reilly: Manchester Guardian 8 November 1923 page 7]

The design of the structure is simple and dignified, relying solely on its beauty of line and proportion. The interior plan is notable for the large amount of floor space it secures, for the excellent lighting and for its incorporation of several good features, such as a pipe duct which carries all supply and waste pipes throughout the building. The building is an eight-storey, steel-frame, fireproof structure, 127 feet high, with basement and a special sub-basement for the central heating plant. It is constructed in Portland stone, with a base of Hopton stone to first floor height, and a plinth of black granite. The whole structure is fire-proof, with reinforced concrete flooring with patent composition. It has street frontages to three sides and full lighting advantage has been taken of the fact. The building is to be let in suites of offices only, and the main entrance to the offices is in Cross-street. This gives into a spacious entrance hall with marble walls and floors and richly coffered ceiling. Everything in the building is on a fine scale; the main staircase and all landings are in Patteson’s reconstructed limestone; there are two passenger lifts, and all conveniences are on a lavish scale. Two-thirds of the ground floor and half the basement have been taken by the Midland Bank for the new city branch, and this portion is entirely independent of the remainder of the building. The fitting of the bank is a remarkable piece of artistry, carried out in figured Indiana walnut and bronze fittings, with marble flooring. The scheme provides for a large shop in the building. The architects are Messrs J.C. Prestwich and Sons, of Leigh, Lancashire. [Manchester City News Building Trades Number. 26 March 1927. Page 15]

NEW OFFICE BUILDINGS IN MANCHESTER  I–  Midland Bank House. Professor C H Reilly - This is a very well-designed building within the street limits imposed by the site and the building regulations. Given a site with a corner cut off it the difficulty and weakness it necessarily involves have been very well managed. The surface of the chamfered face has been enriched and strengthened with sunk horizontal joints in the masonry, and the long bands of stone so formed bind it well to the two main faces of the building. To balance this a similar richness and strength has been given to the other extremity of the Cross Street façade. It will be noticed, too, that these rich rusticated surfaces are pierced with single windows only, whereas in the plain stone central surface the windows are in pairs. The result is these rusticated surfaces have more wall space left and are thereby so much the stronger. The chamfered face immediately under the main cornice is still further strengthened by having no window at all.  The main motive of this building, as of most of the new office blocks in the town, is that of the Florentine Renaissance palazzo, with its unbroken wall surface and its strong cornice. However, the great height in proportion to the width of the façade here required in order to get full value from the site has forced the architects to do anything they can to emphasise the horizontal lines at the base and at the top of their façade. Hence the value of the strong horizontal line given by the balcony above the first floor windows and frieze effect obtained by the rich line of windows and panels to the storey immediately under the cornice. To obtain this it will be noticed the architects have added an extra window to each bay of the façade, having groups of three here where they have two below. The ground floor of large windows suitable for shops is well managed by leaving the wall surface round these windows quite plain. This gives the utmost apparent width both to the stone piers and lintels. The result is that in spite of the great size of these windows the building does not appear to stand on plate glass, but has a satisfactory base. The black line of dark material next to the pavement is effective in this regard. On a difficult narrow site the architects (Messrs Prestwich and Sons of Leigh) have achieved a sober building, yet of considerable elegance, and that without regard to any unnecessary ornament. The chief defect appears to me to be in the top stone storey above the roof. Although it is designed as an attic storey above the main cornice, this is set back behind the wall face below. No doubt this has been done for reasons of light and air to the Royal Exchange, but if it was necessary to set back at this stage some preparation for the change should have been made lower down. [Manchester Guardian 7 August 1928 page 10]

Reference    Manchester City News Building Trades Number. 26 March 1927. Page 15
Reference    Manchester Guardian 7 August 1928 page 10 – Professor C H Reilly