A Manchester developer has bought the former HQ of the city's Ship Canal Company - that has remained derelict for a quarter of a century.
Watch This Space has acquired the grade II-listed Georgian building Bridgewater House for an undisclosed sum - and now plans bring it "back to life".
The firm said the site, which was originally built as two private dwellings before being transferred into an office in the 18th century to become the Manchester Ship Canal Company HQ, requires "significant investment".
READ MORE: Thousands of new North West jobs as Government's National Cyber Force campus location revealed
Watch This Space, which specialises in transforming "ordinary spaces into amazing places", has bought the site from Renaker.
Michelle Rothwell, founder of Watch This Space, said: “We look for projects that are interesting with growth potential and are honoured to be bringing Bridgewater House back to life.
“We’ll be working with specialist architects and conservation experts and will spend more money on restoring it than we would on a new build of the same size.
“However we’re passionate that restoring buildings like this can only be a great thing for Manchester. It’s a challenge, but we love a challenge."
The 23,200 sq ft building lies between Renaker’s Crown Street and Deansgate Square developments.
The site, which also has 36 car parking spaces, fronts Chester Road and is bounded by Great Jackson Street.
James Sidlow, senior development manager at Renaker Build, said: “We identified that Watch This Space were best placed to bring this forward given their track record and expertise. We look forward to seeing what Michelle has planned for this exciting element of the masterplan.”
Watch This Space said it is working with Snook Architects to produce a design that will "transform the building whilst celebrating its heritage".
Manchester-based Watch This Space was launched in 2016 and has completed numerous commercial and residential projects. The estimated turnover for the business in 2021 is £9.5m.
