Block Of Shops & Offices, (Formerly Known As Arnotts Building), 12-16 Bridge St.(East Side) And 26-32 High St., Belfast

Attached asymmetrical multi-bay four-storey red brick Georgian revival former department store, built c.1955, to the designs of Young and Mackenzie with a chamfered corner bay and shopfronts spanning the entire ground floor. U-shaped on plan with principal elevation facing west onto Bridge Street, a secondary elevation facing south onto High Street and single-storey infill to the centre. Flat roof hidden behind parapet wall with moulded concrete coping and deep concrete cornice supported on brackets. Brown brick walling laid in English garden wall bond with moulded concrete cornice over the first floor and a further cornice over the fascia of the ground floor. Gauged brick flat-arched window openings with concrete sills and 6/6 timber sash windows with exposed sash boxes (unless otherwise stated). Asymmetrical principal west elevation is nineteen windows wide with a shallow breakfront to either end. Two decorative moulded concrete window surrounds to the principal elevation incorporating a single window opening to first and second floors and comprising; architrave surround and cartouche with letter ‘A’, to the first floor flanked by flat panelled pilasters and scrolled console brackets supporting a balconette to the second floor with iron railing and a pair of engaged Doric columns supporting an open-bed segmental pediment (this window having a 6/9 timber sash window). The breakfronts also have a similar decorative concrete surround with a plain entablature in place of a pediment. The ground floor has polished granite clad shopfront framing large display windows with a painted masonry architrave over and full-span fascia. Generally replacement windows and doors to the ground floor. North side elevation abutted by brick infill structure with vehicular entrance. East side elevation fronting onto a small alley with glazed brick cladding to the ground floor and uPVC windows. Symmetrical secondary south elevation onto High Street is fifteen windows wide with a shallow breakfront to either end. Detailed as per principal elevation with a single pedimented window surround and further window surrounds to the breakfronts, as per principal elevation. UPVC windows to entire south elevation. Setting Located on a corner site at the junction of High Street and Bridge Street. Roof: Flat RWG: Not seen Walling: Brown brick Windows: Timber/uPVC