OCTOBER 2005 ARCHIVECITY
Hole in the Wall
-it soon will be if someone doesn't step in quick to preserve the Williams
& Glynn Bank ATM in the side of the old First National bank in downtown
James Street.
Show us the money!
We are reliably informed that this is the oldest ATM in the UK maybe even in Europe- but the local clientele seem intent in withdrawing it - not just the cash, from the wall. Now this is something that LCC's Conservation department, English Heritage and the rest of them really SHOULD be doing something about.
New Business District
Welcome news from Liverpool Vision, the city's URC, that a 1.5m sqft extension
to the central business district on the site of the former exchange Station
in Tithebarn St/Pall Mall has been given the go-ahead by the Planning
Committee.
Tithebarn Street
The
visuals released on LV's excellent new website look worringly "80's
Business Park"... but we hope in time will become city-scale streets
and neighbourhoods, check out masterplanners Urban
Initiatives.
An excellent example of the downtown approach
A mini exhibition of reproductions of paintings by James William Carling
will take place at Editions Ltd in the spectacular 16 Cook Street on the
1st , 2nd , 3rd, 4th and 7th November.
Readers of the Scottie Press, especially, will have seen and read a number of articles about James William Carling, which have been featured in the community newspaper in support of Mike Kelly’s efforts to gain a greater awareness and appreciation of this Liverpool artist who was born in downtown Addison Street in 1857.
The corner of Fontenoy and Addison St
Mike Kelly has asked for his thanks to be given to Olwen McLaughlin at Editions for her wonderful support and to Paddy Rose (Great Grand Nephew) of James William Carling, who lives in Winconsin USA for providing the reproductions for the exhibition. Mike also thanks Chris Semtner (Manager, Edgar Allen Poe Museum – Richmond, Virginia, for his support and encouragement.
Just one of the many works of Carling's on show.
If you would like more details about the exhibition please contact Mike Kelly on 01704 576 747 or Editions Ltd on 0151 236 4236 or email.
Fantastic. Yet another example of folk just simply getting on with doing things for themselves, utilising downtown facilites, synergy and goodwill, coming up with the best of downtown ideas and attractions... don't you just love it?
More Hands on Deck?
News that the 20th Century Society has
joined the likes of CABE
and English
Heritage in being placed by the government on a statutory footing.
This will have an effect at planning application
stage for adaptation or demolition of 'significant' 20th century buildings
- and while this means the more obvious buildings of the Modern Movement
may now be appreciated, the C20S
also campaign for some of the brutalist buildings of the 60's!
A tricky one for Liverpool, as will we have an organisation with a passion
for (and the teeth) to champion 'modern architecture' or will this just
be a case of Too Many Cooks? What the city really needs though is a 21st
Century Society ...now that WOULD be visionary.
Ropewalks truly coming back to life
Just a quick observation whilst walking around the Duke St area last night
..it was extremely lively ...just what we want to see.
There are hoardings are up around the site on Duke St/Slater St junction,
displaying images of the new building coming soon and there is scaffolding
on the old Community College in Back Colquitt St, which should be demolished
soon to be replaced by a real piece of class.
When these and the other apartments in the vicinity are done then the place should become even more animated of an evening ...excellent stuff!
meanwhile..
Urban Splash's The Vanilla Factory complex in downtown Fleet St has just
won a major award from the BCO in their refurbished/recycled
workplace category.
'That's interesting'
Just check out the NML
site to see a whole series of interesting new exhibitions and some
major new developments, galleries, museums etc planned for downtown. Site
does not have details though of their new proposed £10m slavery
museum planned to go into the Albert Dock ...stay tuned.
Building on the past
The RC Metropolitan Cathedral
of Christ the King, on downtown Mount Pleasant, is to open up the famous
Lutyens crypt
as part of a multi £m scheme to utilise the building better and attract
tourists. This can only help improve the city's unique offer ...excellent
news!
Fascinating building, in a fascinating downtown
district, heart of a fascinating city
What can be said ..except, Go-ed!
Classy design, world class architects
and landscape
designers, a site that has lain dormant for decades being brought
back into use quite spectacularly, an intensity and mix of use that will
boost the immediate neighbourhood around Bold St/Renshaw St no end ...real
metropolitan scale and class. Developers Ballymore and Merepark should
be congratulated.
Will the deluded cause this classy project for downtown
to bite the dust too? [Credit: icliverpool]
If, after the years of consultations discussions and agreements the developers have gone through, the usual suspects attempt to ambush the scheme with the usual, 'well of course we're not against tall buildings in principle, but this individual scheme ..blah', they will have exposed themselves irredeemably as out of touch fools.
A public exhibition is planned for mid-October at Liverpool Vision's downtown Whitechapel offices... go along and give your support. There can be no logical objections to the scheme ..all it brings are positives for downtown.
Global City comes to town
Two extremely inspiring representatives of Global
City have been visiting downtown this week, hoping to help tap Liverpool
back into the international community of vibrant cities. We hope that
they sparked sufficient interest amongst metropolitan leaders to jump
on board.
Their main interest in coming to Liverpool with the invitation? Simply the interest always shown by those outside the UK for our city, and the sincere wish to see us do well.
World class architecture yes, but what we desperately
now need is a revival of the type of dynamism that led to it being built.
We have so much to learn in this city ..or rather, habits which we need to rekindle, habits we used to have as a world city and are still common amongst all great metropolises. We do also have a lot of positive experience to share with others.
We hope that the invitation is taken up. If it is not, we can legitimately ask just why we seem so determined to forgoe restoring our place in the world in order to remain a provincial backwater of 'englandsnorthwest'?
Met Quarter
As the facade of this fine new extension to the former Whitechapel Post
Office takes shape, its worth reflecting here's a good example of how
old and new can sit very comfortably next to one another.
Detail of new cladding that should blend well with
some of the best heritage stonework downtown
Not only that but developers Milligan have been sensitive to the subtle
cultural assets that are far more important in being preserved, Tyson
Smith;s stunning memorial
to Post Office workers will be re-housed in the new building and nicely
complemented by a brand new commission of an enormous 70m long metal sculpture
by Mel Chantrey - see some of the work he did
here, in Manchester.
City of the sea
Downtown is at the heart of one of the
greatest mercantile/maritime cities on Earth and there are remnants all
over the waterfront that invoke memory of adventure and former relations.
Lots of marvelous things to see, just take a 'legal)
walk along the docks sometime [credit Liverpool
Pictorial]
Liverpool is part of a community of worldwide cities that have a special place in both the psyche and affections of millions of people. Seaports are special places. Just take a look at these pics from Staten Island. Also the people who run the Lower East Side Tenement Museum would love to forge links with our downtown communities.
LIVERPOOL: IN A CITY LIVING 2
Ged Fagan’s first record of downtown
tenement life in the 60s and 70s has proved so popular that he has extended
the record with his second volume.
Through the lens of his own camera and by researching
the archive he has put together another collection of incredible photographs.
If you enjoyed the first book you’ll enjoy this one.
LIVERPOOL IN A CITY LIVING 2 costs £8.50 and can be picked up at
all reputable downtown bookshops, newsagents and tourist outlets.
Castle Street Consultation
Liverpool Town Hall
Whilst the majority of the Big Dig ('though painful) has been on the whole
thoroughly urban, we cannot support the proposed
pedestrianisation of Castle Street. Have your
say 10-4:30pm until this Friday 28th.
Old Haymarket In Fit Shape
Architect ShedKM's stunning Travelodge building in Old Haymarket may at
last soon have new occupants for its empty ground floor. Watch the Big
Blue Space over the coming months...Clearly someone has been doing their
homework as the Eastern end of Dale Street is hotting up with places to
live ..[1,
2]
The Liverpool Echo
has launched an appeal to campaign for Alder Hey Hospital to remain in
the city (see story -right). You can post your message of support on their
website here: [click image]
COMMENT
Downtowners - Let your voice Be Heard!
Central Regeneration Ltd have submitted the main planning application
for their major development in between Bold St and Renshaw Street, a stunning,
stepped 38-storey tower with 3 companion buildings and surrounded by a
spectacular water cascade and public realm by Martha Schwartz.
The best place to see where all this will go is to pay a visit to the excellent Egg cafe on Newington Street and look below into the amazing chasm left by the removal of Liverpool Central mainline station.
'Through the arched window' (remember Playschool?)
..a whole new city may begin to emerge ...we dearly hope so!
An excellent, world class proposal. No sucessful city with pride and civic
ambition would reject such a scheme - let's see what happens here?
Can we encourage downtowners to drop a line supporting the scheme to
Planning and Building Control by the 2nd November 2005? Official Online
Planning comment
form
(Planning Application number is 05F/3082, location
of the scheme is 9-19 Bold Street L1)
Cues for downtown
This year's Stirling
Prize has been won by the Scottish Parliament building in Edinburgh,
designed by the late Enric Miralles. Liverpool had no buildings in the
shortlist, nor even any worth a nomination (though Urban Splash's Jonathan
Falkingham's home was shortlisted for the housing category)
Cues for Liverpool? Do the buildings at Edge Lane and the A580 business parks inevitably have to be built to look like crap? NO, look at what McLaren and BMW have done ...why do our PFI's have to look like design-build lumps? See what Brighton and London could nominate. And of course we can see what a corker has been built in Cork as an important part of it's Capital of Culture celebrations this year.
Well done to Edinburgh and let's look forward to a time when scouse structures are pushing for inclusion once again... we do have a long way to go... shouldn't a good capital of architecture be as confident with it's contemporary buildings as it is celebratory of it's classics!
Groundbreaking
In the past few weeks a number of incredibly important groundbreaking
ceremonies have been quietly made in the city, at Kings
Dock for the new Arena
and at West Tower for the new 40-storey behemoth. Both signal a simple
confidence in just getting the job done. With downtown growth predicted
to rise
by 57% in the next ten years.
Why not check out our archive pages for some clues to the type of amenity that our new residents will be requiring? How long have we been advocating this stuff?
Talking Tall
It's not often you will hear us suggesting you take your dray down the
cobbled road to Manchester but on the 7 December CABE will be hosting
'Talking
Tall: A challenging discussion on the future of urban skylines' at
The Lowry Hotel. More
info
Get along if you can and make sure Liverpool's pro-aspirational voice
is heard?
The Truth is Out There
A few weeks ago, we reported on Starchitect David Chipperfield's Figge
Art Museum in Davenport. Now here what he had
to say to BD about being interviewed for Liverpool's fourth grace!:
"You sat there and thought: these guys aren't
interested in architecture."
Two downtown pieces from icliverpool
Check out this story and images on the provincial
Kings Dock arena, which is now on site and see what has been done
with the restoration and rededication project at St
Nicholas' church that we reported earlier this year.
Missing - has anybody seen this statue?
A concerned downtowner has contacted us
to let us know that the Littlewoods statue
(Patrick Heesom 1964) that has stood outside the Old Hall St entrance
to the company's former headquarters has been moved.
Hopefully the statue's removal is only temporary
Hopefully this is only whilst the major works around the St Paul's Square project goes ahead ...if anybody knows what has happened to this quality piece of public art then please let us know?
More free advice for downtown SME's
Downtown entrepreneurs are encouraged to take up free operations and marketing
advice. There are lots of initiatives like this that can really help downtown
business to improve their chances of successfully growing.
17 different workshops are available, and these can all be offered on site. Another initiative of Liverpool University's Agility Centre. For more info email Jenny Poolton or visit the website.
Ello, ello, ello! What's all this ere then?
Downtowners who value our police being
headquartered at the heart of our busy metropolis, should keep a watching
brief on recent events regarding 're-organisation'
Do we smell a regional rat behind the story? In addition to suggestions that it might be better to 'consolidate' service delivery of health regionally; i.e close Alder Hey Children's hospital and centralise things in Manchester, we now have the threatened Cheshire Police suggesting alternative proposals for a 'North West' FBI.
We reported that suggestions have been made to Merseyside Police that a move away from the city centre for their headquarters might be a good idea ...perhaps all the way to GMP House? All makes good common sense of course, if you're building a regional future that is!
Downtown living NOT a new
idea
Excellent news at last from English Heritage that they are backing plans
to reinstate roof-top apartments
on the Port of Liverpool Building.
Fancy living here downtowners?
We feel the original plan for a contemporary fit would not have been harmful, but the basic principle of getting as many people downtown, living in quality homes is the important factor ...Go 'ed Downings.
'In Keeping'
Designs for Rick Mather's stunning £23m new campus building for
the new LJMU Design
Academy at the RC Cathedral end of Hope Street have been unveiled.
A monumental and breathtaking mass of white forms which could add a brilliant
counterpoint to the modernist masterpiece of the Cathedral and start perhaps
a new Modern Quarter for Liverpool..?
Little surprise then that already we see the odd letter in the local paper complaining that it's not 'in keeping' with Hope Street.
On this basis why not pull down all these other
'not-in-keeping'
buildings:
Liverpool Medical Institute (Neo-Greek Revival?)
Liverpool Anglican Cathedral (Gothic Revival aka Arts and Crafts?)
Philharmonic Hall (Art Deco in a Georgian Quarter?)
Can we please put in end to this IGNORANT Nimbyism!
Busy month in the world's first cosmopolis
Two initiatives amongst the many on offer downtown remind us that the
city is distinct culturally.
Liverpool Irish festival is a growing celebration of the city's main cultural influence. Running from the 6th - 30th October there are tons and tons of initiatives.
And of course the whole of October is dedicated to Black History Month. A vital part of the city's story that is often undervalued ..and certainly underplayed ...A great chance to promote the positive role of our Black community.
A few reminders
Mixed use, high intensity, sufficient density, entrepreneurial priority.
Diversity of offer, downtown repopulation ..basics, basics, basics. Are
we trying our best to maximise downtown's renaissance?
[Un]sustainable Communities
If the London Borough of Southwark are considering knocking down 2400
council homes as it is cheaper to rebuild contemporary urban apartments
for tenants than refurb the 60's housing, what lessons then could we learn
from this for Skelmersdale, Kirkby, Speke...
Meanwhile, adding fuel to the fire to the Sustainable Communities plan that seems to be rushing into demolition programmes on Merseyside Pathfinder areas, a recent note of caution from the Ashford growth area where bosses have expressed alarm at the potential for poor quality new development of the planned 30 000 homes in the rush to meet policy deadlines.
'Those who do not learn from the mistakes of the
past are
condemned to repeat them?'
George Santayana
Rescuing our folk from the dysfunctional suburbs by providing sound urban neighbourhoods back downtown would be a win-win for both city and citizens!
Building recognition
The Civic
Trust Awards scheme is the largest and most comprehensive environmental
design awards scheme in Europe and this year downtowners have the chance
to give their opinion on the following downtown projects that have been
put forward for a Civic Trust Award.
- Covent Garden and east Moorfields
- Building 12 Princes Dock
- Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King (new Piazza and
complex)
- Threshold to the end of the Earth (public art, Old Hall St)
- City Centre Movement Strategy, Public realm improvements
City Centre (architectural) Lighting programme
Any comments (good or bad) on any of the projects should be forwarded to Ian Harvey at the Civic Trust. Email or 231 6908
I remember when
Check out the tremendous 'Reflections'
web site of 20th Century images that has lots of rare photographs of downtown
and further afield in the metropolis.
Ah, the old downtown office. The spectacular Martins'
Bank Building with the Liver bdg at back.
credit: 20th
Century Images
Again we would urge you to note the substantial changes that the city has undertaken... some good, many bad... most certainly not, however 'a pristine example of Victorian splendour in landscape'... thank heavens.
Just a Thought
Wall Street
The India Buildings were briefly evacuated this week; when the hundreds of workers were let back in to the building - to be in the arcade, packed with people and chatter, reminds us what Liverpool, used to, could and needs to be..
INTERNATIONAL
Streets Ahead, in Edinburgh, there's
no talk of building roads, the first new
'street' to be designed from scratch in the
city for some time as Alan Murray Architects get set to build a new street
in Edinburgh.
Dire Straits?
News that Italy and Sicily will at last be joined across the 2.5m wide
Messina Straits by a £3bn suspension
bridge, by far the longest of its type in the world. Now listen up
Welsh Development Agency - the big idea for
North Wales inward investment is not Tourism, it is Infrastructure! Get
your
heads together with the five boroughs in Greater Liverpool and get that
little Stream of the Dee crossed!
Top 10: cities with spectacular nightlife
according to the latest
tripadvisor poll. Whether you are interested in dancing the night
away or fine dining and taking in a show, these cities provide great nightlife
options for every traveller!
1. Amsterdam
2. New York City
3. Cancun
4. Ibiza
5. Prague
6. Mykonos
7. Rio de Janeiro
8. Las Vegas
9. Berlin
10. Bangkok
This comes on top of another survey by the Economist's Intelligence Unit (also check out their fantastic Cities Guide) that put's Vancouver out there as the best city in the world in which to live. We surprisingly appear nowhere in any of them!
Vancouver - greatest city in the world according
to a new survey ...who are we to argue? but
we'd say 'the Pool' is better [credit Daemery.com]
Whilst even Bexhill 'has emerged from barbarism' (again) it seems Liverpool continues it's downward slide into Victiriana and insignificance. Take a look at the fantastic restoration of the De La Warr Pavillion.
Sometimes appreciation of the urban form just commands that you stop and look. Check out yet another good link from London where Andy Warhol's 'Empire' is being projected onto the Lyttelton Flytower during October.
Mid-town wonder, Warhol's first superstar
Filmed over 8 hours from the 44th floor of the Time Life building, try
your best to experience this 1964 classic for yourselves - better still,
let's try and get it up here. Maybe
this link will get the juices flowing?
Building proposals respond to growth in the market, which stimulates that market and leads to more buildings being proposed ..an ecosystem that is suseptible to outside forces and can be easily unbalanced through inteference...
A 21st Century opportunity being firmly grasped in Philadelphia, whilst former mayor John Norquist, who set much of the Smart Growth movement in motion wrestles with a thorny issue.
Take a look at this quite in depth exploration of what is going on in Asian Cities.
We have only begun to tap the potential that downtown living can provide to the wider well-being of the metropolis as a whole. An expert analyses of what could be.
Downtown living of course provides the individuals who do it with improved facilities, convenience etc, but the full list is incalculable. One unexpected benefit is explained in this piece by a Cincinnati downtowners personal experiences.
The lifestyle may not be our particular cup of tea, but an attractive, multi use approach is an essential part of this project, just as is the tower that will provide sufficient residents for the facilities to work ...cue for downtown Liverpool?
'The Small Tower' Planners as well as the developers
understand the value of an increased population to sustaining quality
services.
London Unlimited
Even London realises it is danger of losing a grip as the world's other
great cities keep on growing and growing. A new intitiative London
Unlimited is a multi-partner inititiave sperheaded by the Mayor
to promote London as an international, modern city and challenge the city's
"fogs and bowler hats" image abroad. Good move we say, now can
Liverpool follow suit or will we be eternally stitched up by as being
just "beatles and football"?!
From Liability to Asset
The Birmingham Rotunda, once derided as an 'eyesore' and 'white elephant'
etc etc is now enjoying Grade II listed status, a makeover by Urban Splash
and commercial interest that has seen the likes of 25m being exchanged
for
bulk-buying the new apartments. What goes around comes around...
Redburn -a biography
Herman Melville
Penguin Classics
Le Corbusier: The Unit d'Habitation in Marseille
Jacques Sbriglio
Birkhauser | May 2004
Superdutch:
New Architecture in the Netherlands
Bart Lootsma
Thames and Hudson
The
Downtown Liverpool Organisation
info@downtownliverpool.org
46
Rodney Street, Liverpool L1 9AA UK
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