Victoria Square House
| Victoria Square House | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Former names | Head Post Office |
| General information | |
| Type | Commercial |
| Architectural style | French Renaissance |
| Location | Victoria Square |
| Address | Birmingham, England |
| Coordinates | 52°28′45″N 1°54′09″W / 52.479275°N 1.902598°WCoordinates: 52°28′45″N 1°54′09″W / 52.479275°N 1.902598°W |
| Completed | 1891 |
| Owner | Ardstone Capital |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 6 |
| Floor area | 160,000 square feet (15,000 m2) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Sir Henry Tanner |
|
Listed Building – Grade II
|
|
| Designated | 25 September 1972 |
| Reference no. | 1076142 |
Victoria Square House, is an office building on the south side of Victoria Square in Birmingham, England. It was formerly Birmingham's Head Post Office, designed in the French Renaissance style by architect for the Office of Works Sir Henry Tanner for the General Post Office.
The building was constructed between 1889—1891 and operated as the city's head post office until the 1972 when administrative and sorting office facilities were moved to a new, larger building on Severn Street (since rebuilt as The Mailbox). There were plans to demolish the building in 1973; however after a seven-year campaign by The Victorian Society it was saved. In 1989 the former sorting office was demolished and in 1991 an office development was opened with the former public counter building forming its entrance lobby.
The building now provides 160,000 sq ft of Grade A office space over six floors with a floor plate of 27,000 sq ft.
Before the site was cleared in 1888—9, it contained a number of smaller buildings including Corbett's Temperance Hotel, Joe Hillman's dining rooms, the Theatre Royal, Christ Church School associated with the nearby church and the 'London Hatters', a small hat shop, amongst many other small shops and Georgian terraces. These buildings were most probably the first buildings built on the site as Birmingham began to expand during the 19th century.
Corbett's Temperance Hotel which stood at the corner of Hill Street and Paradise Street was opened in 1842 in a Georgian building which probably dated from 1750. The boarding house and coffee shop was opened by Joseph Corbett to provide an alternative venue for socialising and relaxation other than public houses and inns. Joseph Corbett was a local activist who worked to improve the lives of the poor of Birmingham, he often provided the hotel as a venue for charities to hold meetings and events.
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