Completely refurbished
The renovation of the five-storey building included new staircases, wheelchair friendly level access and a new lift, changing rooms, showers and kitchen facilities on every floor.
Preserved staircase
An original spiral staircase which is protected by a preservation order and leads up to the building’s iconic turret, has also been restored.
Contemporary glass atrium
In addition, a new contemporary steel framed glass atrium has been built linking 79 Lowgate to the adjacent Warehouse 8 building.
Solar panels
Energy saving initiatives include rooftop solar panels and intelligent LED lighting. Also, external improvements have been carried out to both 76 and 78 Lowgate as well as at Warehouse 8 fronting Queens Gardens.
Energy efficient heating
The new plant room is equipped with an energy efficient heating system.
Historic building
Built originally as the headquarters of wine and spirits merchant Samuel Mason, the building looked down over what was Queen's dock until 1930, when work began on turning it into public gardens.
79 Lowgate was more recently used as the City Record Office by Hull City Council, but has sat empty since 2010 when the archives were transferred to the Hull History Centre.
Historic features retained
Site Manager Paul McKenzie, who led the 12-month project, said: “We needed to work with expert craftspeople to carefully preserve the building’s historic features, whilst combining the latest construction techniques and energy efficient technology. This included everything from restoring the spindles and handrails on the spiral staircase up to the turret, which was originally a lookout for boats coming into Hull loaded with wine and spirits, through to discovering the original cobbled loading bay when we dug down at the rear of the building. We then painstakingly removed and re-laid this to create an interesting feature on the corner of Guildhall Road.”
Ready for Hull City Council staff
Up to 175 staff in Hull City Council’s social services teams will now relocate there from Brunswick House on Beverley Road and other local offices, as part of the council’s ambition to bring its staff into one central area known as the Guildhall campus.
Councillor Paul Drake-Davis, portfolio holder for economic and business regeneration at Hull City Council, said: “The investment to restore this historic building will not only make this part of the city look nicer, but it will also see council staff at the heart of the city centre. Hopefully, the restoration will give something back to the local economy that's been hit so hard in recent years."
