Cleveland College Of Art And Design, Former Central Library And Rear Extension

The Cleveland College of Art and Design, formerly the Central Library and its rear extension, is a public library and former newsroom built in 1894, designed by J.W. Brown, the Borough Engineer. The rear extension was added in 1914 by N.F. Dennis, also a Borough Engineer. The building is constructed of red brick with ornamental terracotta details and plain clay tiled roofs, each featuring two ventilation lanterns at the ridge. It has an 'L' shape, with the main library facade facing Clarence Street to the north and the former newsroom facing Clarence Road to the west.

The design is in the Northern Renaissance style and consists of two storeys for the library, showcasing a balanced asymmetry. The first-floor windows are separated by simple half-lozenge pilaster strips that continue through the parapet to small urn finials. The windows in the gable end are adorned with ornamented three-centred arched heads. The building features a dentilled eaves cornice and a first-floor sill string, along with shaped gables on both the front and the gable end, the latter of which includes a circular window.

The single-storey newsroom has a six-bay layout with a doorway in the left bay, featuring four-panelled double doors and a fanlight with glazing bars, all under a round-arched opening framed by a pilaster-and-entablature surround topped with a swan-neck pediment and urn finial. The bays are defined in the parapet by half-lozenge pilaster strips with urn finials, and the newsroom also has a dentilled eaves cornice and three-centred arched windows. All windows are either transomed or cross windows, set within architraves.