St. James Buildings, Manchester

St James Buildings
General information
Status	Completed
Type	Office
Architectural style	Edwardian Baroque[1]
Location	Oxford Street, Manchester
Address	61–95 Oxford Street Manchester Greater Manchester M1 6EJ
Coordinates	53.4755°N 2.2416°W / 53.4755; -2.2416
Opened	1912[1]
Client	Calico Printers' Association Ltd
Owner	Bruntwood
Height	60m[1]
Technical details
Floor count	9[1]
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Clegg, Fryer & Penman
References
[1]

St James Buildings is a high-rise, Grade II listed building on Oxford Street, Manchester, England, completed in 1912. The building was constructed in the Edwardian Baroque style and has a Portland stone exterior reaching a maximum height of 60m.

History

The building opened in 1912 as the headquarters of the Calico Printers' Association Ltd, a company formed in 1899 from the amalgamation of 46 textile printing companies and 13 textile merchants. Companies involved in the merger included F. W. Grafton & Co, Edmund Potter & Co, Hoyle's Prints Ltd, John Gartside & Co, F. W. Ashton & Co, Rossendale Printing Company, Hewit & Wingate Ltd, and the Thornliebank Company Ltd.

The renovated building is leased to other businesses by its owner Bruntwood.^[2] Notable lessees include Kaplan Financial Ltd, BPP Law School, and the Arup Manchester office who were based on the 8th floor,^[3] the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service^[4] and the Manchester city centre campus for Edge Hill University ^[5] mainly for their Paramedic and their Operating department practitioner courses.

Architecture

Drawing published in 1913.

The building is Edwardian Baroque in style, has a Portland stone exterior and reaches a maximum height of 60m. The architects Clegg, Fryer & Penman designed the long façade with three slightly protruding pavilions with grossly inflated pilasters and pediments; in the centre the principal pediment is topped by a stumpy tower which breaks through the cornice line. The lowest third of the façade is emphasized by rustication and by having a more elaborate arrangement of windows.^[6]

See also

• Listed buildings in Manchester-M1
• Tootal, Broadhurst and Lee Building, which faces the St. James Buildings across Oxford Street

References

1. "St James Buildings". skyscrapernews.com. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
2. "St James'". Bruntwood. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
3. "Manchester - Arup". Arup. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
4. "Medical Practitioners' Tribunal Service". M.P.T.S. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
5. "Edge Hill University Campus". E.H.U. Campuses. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
6. Atkins, Philip (1976) Guide across Manchester. Manchester: Civic Trust for the North West ISBN 0-901347-29-9; p. 99