Hotel scheme in £35m plan for landmark Central Hall Major regeneration for city centre building on ‘at risk’ list
AN American hotel group has chosen one of Birmingham’s most famous landmarks to launch its first operation in Europe.
Dream Hotels, which runs venues in the US and Asia, has signed up to open a new hotel in the city as part of the regeneration of Methodist Central Hall, in Corporation Street.
The news comes as plans are lodged with Birmingham City Council to carry out a wholesale renovation of the grade II*-listed building worth at least £35 million.
The work will create around 100 new jobs.
London-based property investor Ciel Capital acquired the hall in May and plans to add a three-storey roof extension to create a 147-bedroom hotel and 75-bedroom ‘apart-hotel’, to be operated by the applicant’s sister company Stow-Away.
There will also be a rooftop bar and restaurant and the retention of existing ground floor units for use as retail, offices or café space.
The building’s main hall will be opened up for public access and used as a ‘gastro hall’ with a show kitchen and there will also be a mezzanine bar featuring the original organ which will be restored.
The detailed terracotta façades will also be cleaned and damaged tiles repaired.
Ciel Capital is working with local music, community and heritage groups to explore ways to commemorate the building’s past uses, such as a music venue which once played host to major acts like David Bowie and Pulp.
New sketches also show how the building’s rooftop extension will look.
Ciel Capital’s chief executive Vedrana Bilanovic Riley said: “We are very excited to be submitting our plans for the former Methodist Central Hall.
“The project team has been working hard over the past few months to ensure that our plans deliver a sensitive restoration of the iconic building, all the while bringing the site back into life to provide new retail and leisure options for locals, plus employment and training opportunities.
“Our vision from the outset of this project was to deliver a sensitive restoration of the hall which is respectful to its features while guaranteeing the building’s future can be secured and enjoyed by the public.”
Methodist Central Hall was designed by Ewan Harper & James A. Harper and built in 1904.
Its distinctive tower and terracotta exterior has made it a city landmark but it has fallen into a state of disrepair in recent years, prompting Historic England to add it to its Heritage at Risk register.
It has been the subject of many different planning applications over the years. In 1989 developers wanted