57 years after it first opened, 100 Old Hall Street looks to a new era
In 1965, Liverpool was swinging. The Beatles had two albums in the charts and were voted Best World Group by the NME. Liverpool FC had its first FA Cup win with Bill Shankly calling it his greatest moment. The city’s first street parking meters came into operation on Old Hall Street - the car was king and Liverpool’s war-ravaged business district was being transformed.
Our vision is to be one of the city’s primary food and drink destinations.
Originally built for Littlewoods and named after the firm's founder, Sir John Moores, 100 Old Hall Street has been a prominent feature of the Liverpool skyline since it opened in 1965. At 64 metres tall and 125 metres long it set the scale for the Liverpool City Centre Plan of that year which earmarked the area for further large-scale office expansion.
After its completion others followed, most notably Silkhouse Court (1970) the Daily Post & Echo building (1974), and New Hall Place or The Sandcastle (1976). Today, “The Plaza'' - as it’s now known - towers over the northern edge of the business district like a gigantic ship in dock.
Bruntwood Works purchased the property in 2003 and two years later the entire building was refurbished and renovated. In 2020, Bruntwood announced plans for another makeover, a £3.7million transformation that is now nearing final completion.
It’s the latest boom for Old Hall Street - the Post & Echo building is now an INNSiDE by Melia hotel complete with a Gino D’Acampo restaurant, 360 Sky Bar and “Secret Garden”. Next door, Playstation has moved into a swish 65,000 sq ft space.
The Plaza is Bruntwood’s first “Pioneer” building in Liverpool - a £100m scheme that aims to create forward-thinking workspaces centred on six key pillars: biophilia, art, sustainability, wellness, amenity and technology. It’s all very impressive.
There’s a new entrance in St Paul’s Square which leads into an open plan reception and lounge area in hues of vibrant orange and emerald blue, mirrored throughout the rest of the building’s design. The interior concept was designed to reflect the building's roots in the 1960s and all the optimism and colour that decade brought to the liveliest of cities.
Living walls provide oxygen boosting green spaces and a natural way to create distinctive areas within the building. Energy-saving sensors within the building are used to optimise efficiency. There’s a wellness studio kitted out with Les Mills’ exercise equipment and a regular programme of yoga classes are scheduled as part of the community programme.
Active travel is also central to the building’s transformation with 142 bike spaces, 18 showers and a luxurious changing room experience including the provision of complimentary towels, toiletries and even GHD hair straighteners.
Graffiti Spirits Group have opened a branch of Bold Street Coffee on the ground floor, creating a new casual dining spot for the business district. Even more ambitious is the imminent arrival of a new restaurant and bar, also operated by GSG. The hospitality group, which also owns Duke Street Food & Drink Market, Salt Dog Slims and Manolo, hopes that the new venture inside The Plaza will become a food and drink destination in its own right.
Colin Forshaw, regional director of Bruntwood Works, said: “The Plaza has always been a game changer in terms of design and its offering. From its inception in 1963 when its foundations were laid, right through to the present day, The Plaza has been setting the tone and leading the way."
Colin said, “The building’s new transformation continues in this trailblazing spirit as we create the workspace of the future by incorporating amenity, wellbeing, biophilia, technology, art and sustainability.
"It’s completely different to anything else that exists in the city and is set to attract new visitors to the building and the surrounding commercial district as well as offering existing customers a new way of working. Today we are blending a workspace and lifestyle offering to create a place to cultivate ambition.
“We are really excited for a brand new restaurant and bar concept and our vision is to be one of the city’s primary food and drink destinations.”
More details of the new restaurant will be announced soon.
The Plaza, 100 Old Hall Street, Liverpool L3 9QJ
Read next: Gino's 360 sky bar opens at INNSiDE Liverpool
Read again: Liverpool's tallest hotel is now open in Paddington Village
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