The transformation of Liverpool's famous North Western Hall into a new Radisson hotel is on track to be completed by summer, the team behind the £30m project confirmed.
Deansgate Contractors is working with the hotel group to launch the Radisson RED Liverpool in the Grade II-listed building next to Liverpool Lime Street station. The project includes renovations stretching across the entire 10-storey building, creating 201 bedrooms, five meeting rooms and a new steak restaurant. It's expected to create some 55 jobs.
The restoration work has included revitalising the grand staircase and reopening a "secret" door onto Lime Street station, reported Business Live.
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Deansgate was appointed towards the start of 2021 to finish work on the site after the previous contractor, Marcus Worthington and Company, fell into administration back in October 2019. In a statement issued in July 2021 when new artist impressions were released, the project team said the hotel was expected to be completed during the first quarter of 2022.
Before the previous contractor collapsed, the project had been expected to be finished in 2020.
Grade II-listed North Western Hall was built in the 1870s as a hotel and is one of a group of stunning buildings around St George's Plateau. It was one of a number of grand railway hotels built around the UK in the Victorian era, including the Midland Grand Hotel at St Pancras, London.
But it closed as a hotel in the 1930s and was left empty for years. In 1996, it was brought back to life when it was converted into student accommodation. Part of the Radisson Hotel Group, the opening will mark Radisson RED's fifth UK site, with other locations including London, Glasgow, Gatwick Airport and Heathrow Airport and, globally, Cape Town, Dubai and Brussels.
The building's grand central staircase with its 94m handrail has been renewed and refreshed after workers spent 792 hours on its restoration. Glass experts were brought in to reproduce the original six metre-high stained glass window above the grand staircase, creating a new focal point for the hotel.
Workers have also reopened a door that leads from the hotel bar directly onto Lime Street station concourse. The door was built when the North Western Hotel was opened as a traditional railway hotel.
Nathan Hooper, project manager for Deansgate Contractors, said: "This is a truly incredible building and it has been an absolute privilege to be part of the journey to return the hotel to its former grandeur.
"When we started work, it was clear the building had declined and needed some major TLC, which we have given it throughout the renovation process. Opening up the passage on to the station concourse and restoring the stained glass window are just some of the ways we have managed to retain the building’s history, while creating a space that is suited to the modern traveller. I’ve no doubt that, once complete, Radisson RED will be a real jewel in the city’s tourism crown."
Gary Waring, general manager at Radisson RED Liverpool, added: "North Western Hall is one of Liverpool’s most recognisable and iconic landmarks, but its story is not known, or told enough.
"By returning the building to a hotel, we are bringing it full circle. The construction and design teams have worked tirelessly to restore some of its most impressive features and help breathe new life into the hotel so that it's fit for purpose in 2022.
"At Radisson RED, we’re passionate about creating memorable moments for our guests, for the local population and those coming from further afield.
"We’re now looking forward to completing the renovation work and are excited to welcome guests this summer."
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