Great article, Dan. I was away, so couldn't get to the session, but look forward to SSA's write-up. I must take issue with "not intended to be beautiful". It's easy to overinterpret "form follows function". One function of a building is to make a positive impression. There's a picture of YRM's white-tiled Manchester Courts building (now demolished) showing how it shines like a beacon in a dreary (because dirty, not ugly) streetscape. Coles succeeds in making the dual impression both of being a shop that customers are attracted to - which they were - and of complementing but not upstaging the Cenotaph and City Hall. Like many 1960s buildings, great care has been taken in the choice of materials, which is rare today in Sheffield where most appear to be chosen from a catalogue. We're about to get a good illustration of the difference: the rear of the Radisson hotel on Burgess Street will look cheap and dull, while next door the new cladding for the Odeon/Gaumont is custom-made - and will probably divide opinion.
Excellent and thoughtful piece; the idea of a Kulturhaus should be a no-brainer, but whether the will to make it happen exists is another thing altogether - your point about the old Town Hall and the Salvation Army Citadel is well made, and arguably many other buildings in the area have suffered neglect as a result of this apparent indifference and stagnation.
The Central library and graves gallery hardly command masses of visitors and tourists, so I don't know why that would be the case if they moved to a bigger building, which would be another massive costly burden on the council. That the majority of people at this meeting thought that this was the best idea seems really conservatively unimaginative and unrealistic! And as someone else has said, what would then happen to the existing Central library? People didn't seem to like the idea of making that into a quality hotel when that was a possibility a while back.
I can definitely see some value in making it into a new contemporary arts gallery, which have track records of taking old buildings and making them into wonderful buildings loved by locals, attracting investment and putting cities on the map as tourist destinations. Sheffield city centre needs more arts destinations to go between, not just bigger versions of the few that already exist.
I loved the description of the meeting of 100 Sheffield minds to discuss the future of Cole Brothers- and some great ideas. We need more community involvement like this- Arnstein’s citizen power…
Fascinating article and discussion. Back at the end of the last millennium when big money was being competed for (we got the Millennium Gallery and the National Centre for Popular Music), there was also a plan which came within a whisker of success (I know because I chaired it) to buy the old bus garage and turn it into a "live arts" auditorium, studios and workshops which would be funded by turning the rest of it into rented shops, cafes, offices and apartments. In the end it failed but not because of the idea or the business plan. It identified things Sheffield still lacks in the arts field: a space with a sprung floor for contemporary dance, an auditorium with good acoustics for small-to-medium music events and a space for experimental theatre (now perhaps partially met by Theatre Deli) which gave the Crucible Studio something to compete with and scores of companies which are more than "fringe" but less than fully integrated into the funding system: growth areas. All "niche" ideas perhaps but our competitors have them.
In addition, as you point out, the Central Library/Graves Arts Gallery is really no longer fit for purpose (I really don't believe the hotel idea was ever a genuine runner) but it is a much-loved building which desperately needs love and money but the height of whose storeys (and the windows!) make it challenging to adapt. But with money spent it would make a great art gallery, and with an entrance on Tudor Square it would get "plugged in" to the existing attraction of that part of the city centre.
What does that leave for Cole Brothers, a building neither stunningly beautiful nor a complete eyesore which could also do with some love and money?
It would need a serious study to see if the "live arts" idea is as goer: a building that provided the more intimate, modern and better-equipped space than the City Hall and aimed at a younger audience, funded by a mixture of rented accommodation for living, working and refreshment. Not exactly a Kulturhaus which, as the name suggests, is a somewhat narrower idea, but one incorporating culture for its own sake with other aspects of life and 24-hour use in the city centre, helping Barkers Pool have a similar vibe to Tudor Square.
Was there any discussion about the need for artist space? Sheffield has the largest concentration of artists outside of London. Waiting lists for existing studios are very long. Could space be created within the Kulturhaus? Alternatively, could the Central Library be converted into studios?
Excellent article fully agree with the conclusion that the store should be turned into a new store for The Graves Art Galley, the Central Libraty and the City Archives.
I love the building and the idea of a cultural hub. For me the distinctive overall architectural style of sheffield is the building in concrete after the war. The simplicity. I recently visited one of Basil Spence's 2 1950's churches in Sheffield as part of Heritage Open Days, in Richmond.
Thought provoking as usual Dan. I don't find Cole Bros building either ugly or beautiful but listing it was definitely unnecessary and unhelpful. The locked-in carbon arguement is powerful although I'd be happy to see it raized to create a green space with tall trees, whilst Sheffield is seen as a green city overall with many tree-lined streets, the city centre is a concrete and hard-paved desert. Knocking down to re-build should be ruled out straight away. Overall though your Kulturehouse idea is perhaps the most rounded: Library + Art Gallery + a roof top garden restuarant/bar... but what on earth do we do with the car park??
Another really great article taking the time to look at something in depth. I am still seething about John Lewis’ decision to close the store. I know I need to get over it! As for the future of the building - please demolish it. It is just plain ugly and a blot on the city centre.
Whatever it’s architectural merits to have such an aesthetically unappealing building in the centre of Sheffield has always been unfortunate. We had the chance to do something better (not difficult) which has now been sadly missed.
I don't think it is an ugly building . Glad idea for how to repurpose are being discussed. Like the roof garden idea
Great article, Dan. I was away, so couldn't get to the session, but look forward to SSA's write-up. I must take issue with "not intended to be beautiful". It's easy to overinterpret "form follows function". One function of a building is to make a positive impression. There's a picture of YRM's white-tiled Manchester Courts building (now demolished) showing how it shines like a beacon in a dreary (because dirty, not ugly) streetscape. Coles succeeds in making the dual impression both of being a shop that customers are attracted to - which they were - and of complementing but not upstaging the Cenotaph and City Hall. Like many 1960s buildings, great care has been taken in the choice of materials, which is rare today in Sheffield where most appear to be chosen from a catalogue. We're about to get a good illustration of the difference: the rear of the Radisson hotel on Burgess Street will look cheap and dull, while next door the new cladding for the Odeon/Gaumont is custom-made - and will probably divide opinion.
Excellent and thoughtful piece; the idea of a Kulturhaus should be a no-brainer, but whether the will to make it happen exists is another thing altogether - your point about the old Town Hall and the Salvation Army Citadel is well made, and arguably many other buildings in the area have suffered neglect as a result of this apparent indifference and stagnation.
The Central library and graves gallery hardly command masses of visitors and tourists, so I don't know why that would be the case if they moved to a bigger building, which would be another massive costly burden on the council. That the majority of people at this meeting thought that this was the best idea seems really conservatively unimaginative and unrealistic! And as someone else has said, what would then happen to the existing Central library? People didn't seem to like the idea of making that into a quality hotel when that was a possibility a while back.
I can definitely see some value in making it into a new contemporary arts gallery, which have track records of taking old buildings and making them into wonderful buildings loved by locals, attracting investment and putting cities on the map as tourist destinations. Sheffield city centre needs more arts destinations to go between, not just bigger versions of the few that already exist.
I loved the description of the meeting of 100 Sheffield minds to discuss the future of Cole Brothers- and some great ideas. We need more community involvement like this- Arnstein’s citizen power…
I like the idea but the central library building is beautiful…would that building then just be left to rot creating another problem?
Fascinating article and discussion. Back at the end of the last millennium when big money was being competed for (we got the Millennium Gallery and the National Centre for Popular Music), there was also a plan which came within a whisker of success (I know because I chaired it) to buy the old bus garage and turn it into a "live arts" auditorium, studios and workshops which would be funded by turning the rest of it into rented shops, cafes, offices and apartments. In the end it failed but not because of the idea or the business plan. It identified things Sheffield still lacks in the arts field: a space with a sprung floor for contemporary dance, an auditorium with good acoustics for small-to-medium music events and a space for experimental theatre (now perhaps partially met by Theatre Deli) which gave the Crucible Studio something to compete with and scores of companies which are more than "fringe" but less than fully integrated into the funding system: growth areas. All "niche" ideas perhaps but our competitors have them.
In addition, as you point out, the Central Library/Graves Arts Gallery is really no longer fit for purpose (I really don't believe the hotel idea was ever a genuine runner) but it is a much-loved building which desperately needs love and money but the height of whose storeys (and the windows!) make it challenging to adapt. But with money spent it would make a great art gallery, and with an entrance on Tudor Square it would get "plugged in" to the existing attraction of that part of the city centre.
What does that leave for Cole Brothers, a building neither stunningly beautiful nor a complete eyesore which could also do with some love and money?
It would need a serious study to see if the "live arts" idea is as goer: a building that provided the more intimate, modern and better-equipped space than the City Hall and aimed at a younger audience, funded by a mixture of rented accommodation for living, working and refreshment. Not exactly a Kulturhaus which, as the name suggests, is a somewhat narrower idea, but one incorporating culture for its own sake with other aspects of life and 24-hour use in the city centre, helping Barkers Pool have a similar vibe to Tudor Square.
Was there any discussion about the need for artist space? Sheffield has the largest concentration of artists outside of London. Waiting lists for existing studios are very long. Could space be created within the Kulturhaus? Alternatively, could the Central Library be converted into studios?
A combined Theatre, Library and Art Gallery would be superb. However, This only causes another problem - what to do with the current central library
Another really excellent article. It would be good to know what other cities across the world do with similar opportunities.
There’s more to life than shopping!
Excellent article fully agree with the conclusion that the store should be turned into a new store for The Graves Art Galley, the Central Libraty and the City Archives.
I love the building and the idea of a cultural hub. For me the distinctive overall architectural style of sheffield is the building in concrete after the war. The simplicity. I recently visited one of Basil Spence's 2 1950's churches in Sheffield as part of Heritage Open Days, in Richmond.
Thought provoking as usual Dan. I don't find Cole Bros building either ugly or beautiful but listing it was definitely unnecessary and unhelpful. The locked-in carbon arguement is powerful although I'd be happy to see it raized to create a green space with tall trees, whilst Sheffield is seen as a green city overall with many tree-lined streets, the city centre is a concrete and hard-paved desert. Knocking down to re-build should be ruled out straight away. Overall though your Kulturehouse idea is perhaps the most rounded: Library + Art Gallery + a roof top garden restuarant/bar... but what on earth do we do with the car park??
Another really great article taking the time to look at something in depth. I am still seething about John Lewis’ decision to close the store. I know I need to get over it! As for the future of the building - please demolish it. It is just plain ugly and a blot on the city centre.
Dear God
What a load of twaddle is coming out as regards Cole Brothers.Perhaps you would allow me space at length in the near future to comment ?
Whatever it’s architectural merits to have such an aesthetically unappealing building in the centre of Sheffield has always been unfortunate. We had the chance to do something better (not difficult) which has now been sadly missed.