Plan to restoreVictorian hotel where Gandhi ate
Vacant listed landmark to be transformed into ‘aparthotel’
AHISTORIC Birmingham hotel where Indian independence campaigner Mahatma Gandhi once dined is to be restored with backing from the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).
The Victorian Murdoch Chambers & Pitman Building, in Corporation Street, started life in the late 1800s as Britain’s first vegetarian restaurant and hotel, but now stands empty apart from ground floor takeaways.
Now developer MP Devco Limited has drawn up proposals to transform it into an ‘aparthotel’ offering 136 apartments.
The combined authority has agreed in principle to make an investment to kick-start the scheme, which is expected to create more than 70 jobs.
It is the latest in a series of WMCA investments with Government cash to create new homes and commercial spaces on urban, brownfield sites.
Andy Street, West Midlands mayor and chair of the WMCA, said: “Murdoch & Pitman is an iconic city centre building with a glorious history. This scheme will breathe new life into the building and the area, helping to safeguard a valued part of our local heritage.
“It is also yet another example of how the WMCA is putting its funding to good use to help drive forward a successful economic recovery from Covid-19 by transforming brownfield sites into new homes and communities, creating vital jobs in the process.”
The Murdoch Chambers & Pitman Building was built in 1896 by J Crouch and E Butler for Dean’s Furniture and the Pitman’s restaurant, – thought to have been named after Sir Isaac Pitman, then vice-president of the Vegetarian Society and creator of Pitman’s shorthand.
The building features carvings depicting its early uses, showing diners at the restaurant and workers at Dean’s Furniture offices.
Pitman’s restaurant had expanded into a hotel by 1898 and was still open when Gandhi visited the city in the 1930s. Later uses of the buildings included offices and barristers’ chambers.
Cllr Mike Bird, WMCA portfolio holder for housing and land and leader of Walsall Council, added: “This is just the latest in a series of investment commitments we have continued to make throughout the pandemic, helping to provide market confidence and put in place the building blocks required to drive the
region’s post-Covid-19 economic recovery plans.
“The plans for the Murdoch Chambers & Pitman Building show that with the right investment it is possible to reinvent our historic buildings in a way that remains true to their heritage but also meets the needs of the 21st century.”
With the ongoing shift away from bricks and mortar retail to online shopping, it is hoped the scheme will also help revitalise the top end of Corporation Street, traditionally one of the city centre’s premier streets
and also the location of other historic buildings such as the Grade I-listed Victoria Law Courts and the Grade IIlisted Methodist Central Hall, which has stood empty for nearly 20 years.
A WMCA spokesman said it was hoped the development would enhance the historic area and integrate well with the other Victorian architecture near by.
The aparthotel will “support and address growing city centre housing and commercial market demand while providing additional jobs for the region”.