Central Buildings

Central Buildings is a three-storey office building dating from circa 1900, located in West Sunniside, Sunderland. The building is constructed of ashlar stone with a Welsh slate roof featuring stone gable coping. It has nine windows across each floor and a basement level. The main entrance consists of double, six-panelled doors with a semicircular overlight, set within a doorcase of keyed architrave flanked by fluted pilasters and topped with a scrolled pediment. A secondary six-panelled door is located in the first bay, featuring block rustication to the lower portion and Tuscan engaged columns which support an entablature with a pulvinated frieze and segmental pediment. The windows are primarily plain sashes, except for a wider window in the two right-hand bays of the ground floor. Triple keystones are present above the ground-floor windows. The top floor has an entablature with the words "CENTRAL BUILDINGS" incised in the frieze, below a prominent eaves gutter cornice. A shaped gable over the three right bays contains paired windows set between pilasters, with a monogram within a pedimented aedicule. A balustrade extends from the gable to the left end of the building.