Our project to restore an iconic but forgotten landmark in Hull’s city centre is making great progress, with works to the link building and internal refurbishments now underway.
79 Lowgate is an impressive Grade II-listed building that was formerly used as the City Archives, however this came to an end a decade ago when the Hull History Centre was opened.
Located on Guildhall Road and overlooking Queens Gardens, 79 Lowgate was originally built as headquarters for local wine and spirits merchant Samuel Mason. We are currently working to bring it back into use as corporate office space for Hull City Council which will adjoin the adjacent warehouse located in Guildhall Road via the new link building.
We are well underway with the refurbishment scheme and have recently removed the roof from the loading bay on Guildhall Road to complete remedial works to the lift shaft and commence the construction of a new steel framed glass atrium which will link 79 Lowgate and the adjacent Warehouse no.8 building.
Internally, we have commenced works to delicately refurbish the original staircases and create new corporate offices across the five floors of the building. We will soon be commencing works to re-roof the main building which will involve carefully demolishing and reconstructing the parapet using the original bricks.
The scheme has been awarded to us via the YORBuild framework. As part of the procurement, we were actively involved in developing the design over the last 12 months via early contractor involvement.
The roof of 79 Lowgate offers fantastic views across Hull city centre, including our nearby Phase 2 re-roofing scheme on the city’s’ Guildhall which includes the replacement of the iconic time ball, a rare historic timepiece that was used to help ship’s navigators tell the time and fix longitudes from sea.
Joe Booth, Business Development Director for Hobson & Porter, said: “We are pleased with the progress being made at the refurbishment of 79 Lowgate and are delighted to be working with Hull City Council to restore this iconic and elegant building, which has played an important and diverse role in the city’s heritage.
“It is great to see conservation projects of this nature taking place in our home city as we enter our 50th year in business. The 79 Lowgate project is one of many historic landmarks we have been preserving and refurbishing in the city in recent months; complementing our ongoing work at the neighbouring Guildhall site and across the city at the historic Beverley Road Baths. We are delighted to be bringing this Grade II-listed structure back to life and into contemporary use.”
