“When you have iconic buildings like this, they need to be loved and nurtured,” says designer Atul Bansal, from Manchester design studio Sheila Bird. He’s among the team that has brought the New Century Hall back to life, ahead of its opening this weekend.
Now dubbed simply New Century, the ground floor food hall and bar boasts a host of food operators, from The French’s Adam Reid, who will be launching his new ‘posh butty’ concept, to newcomers like Tallow, which will be dishing out the best dry-aged beef in the form of burgers, hanger steaks and rib eyes.
The hall was originally built by the Co-op in 1963 as its own dedicated ballroom for functions, and later became a renowned gig venue. It has seen the likes of Jimi Hendrix - whose lyrics in neon adorn the entrance - as well as Tina Turner and the Rolling Stones.
The gig venue upstairs, which will open next month and is being curated by feted promoters Now Wave, boasts the hall’s original sprung dancefloor, as well as the original lighting and wooden wall cladding of the grade II-listed building.
Meanwhile, the building will also house the Access Creative College, which boasts Ed Sheeran as a patron, will specialise in offering qualifications in music and other creative industries.
Bansal went on: “I always wondered how there was this beautiful building that was empty. So it became a project about love, and trying to get people in to help support it. And we’ve now built this amazing thing, and it’s about bringing this part of the city back to life, which I think is really, really important.
“Music is going to live through the whole building. There will be students learning music in the basement, they’ll be able to play music upstairs, learn the craft, they’ll get to mix with amazing bands who are local. This doesn’t exist at the moment in Manchester.
“It’s about respecting what’s here. I think people want history. We’re sick and tired of following trends, this is here already, why try to make it any different? This building was a shining beacon in this area, which had been destroyed. It was built at the same time as Manchester Airport, and when they did it, it was a huge gamble, but it became iconic.
“The features here are a designer’s dream,” added the venue’s senior designer Georgia Ingleton. “Concrete columns, the venue’s original concrete floor, we’ve had some amazing things to work with, so it’s about making that all come to life again.”
Also trading from the food hall will be Ply, the Northern Quarter pizza spot, presenting new project Wild by Ply, a collaboration with Wildfarmed, which is providing the ‘biodynamic’ flour. Also on board are Bahn Vi with its vegan take on Vietnamese cuisine, BaoBros23 and Zumuku Sushi.
The gig venue will launch on September 21, with a special preview gig just announced from punk poet John Cooper Clark on September 20, featuring support from Mike Garry and Deptford Northern Soul Club.
Sunset Rollercoaster will play an already sold-out show the following night, while a family-friendly opening weekend, with events and activities for families, will then spill out onto Sadler’s Yard adjacent to the venue on September 24.
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