College of Technology, College Square East, Belfast, BT1 6DJ

A large free-standing five-storey building in Baroque Revival style, built of Portland stone to the front and sides, and brick to the rear, with domical corner turrets at each end of the main entrance elevation. The main entrance faces east.

East Elevation

The east elevation is symmetrical, with a central entrance in a 9-bay 5-storey main front flanked by projecting pedimented single bays. A circular corner tower at each extremity rises to an open 6th storey and attic surmounted by a domical copper roof. The main roof is hidden behind a balustraded parapet.

The walling is of Portland stone, with a projecting battered and moulded plinth, a moulded stringcourse at first floor level, and a moulded cornice at second floor level from which rise giant Ionic columns with moulded bases and carved capitals, running through the second and third storeys. These are surmounted by the main cornice which has modillions and dentils. Above the main cornice is the attic or fourth floor which has moulded brackets between the windows, continuing the line of each column below, surmounted by an entablature with moulded cornice and stone balustrade, except at each projecting flanking square bay which is blind at the fourth floor level, marked by a segmental pediment, above which is a blocking course surmounted by a pair of massive copper urns.

The circular end bays have short Doric pilasters between windows to the fourth floor instead of brackets. Above the balustraded parapet the circular bays continue as circular towers with single semi-circular rusticated arched openings between pairs of diagonally placed coupled Corinthian columns carrying a pulvinated frieze and cornice. Above the cornice are scrolling brackets with circular openings between, in keyblock surrounds, the whole terminating with a dome-shaped copper roof crowned by a large copper urn finial.

The main entrance is set in a projecting two-storey bay with rusticated quoins to extremities, and comprises a semi-circular rusticated arched doorway with a keystone bearing a carved stone cartouche recessed between attached rusticated Doric columns carrying pulvinated frieze blocks and an open segmental pediment with dentil cornice containing a large stone relief carving of the arms of Belfast. Surmounting the pediment is a large carved stone cartouche inscribed 'Municipal Technical Institute'. The doorway contains a pair of later modern glass doors set immediately in front of the original ornamentally treated wrought iron grille gates. Modern ramps parallel to the main front run up to the main entrance from each side, brick paved, with four steps up to a short terrace in front of the entrance. There are moulded stone curving plinth walls with plain railings and modern steel handrails.

Windows are as follows: to the ground floor and first floor, rectangular timber sliding sash, vertically hung, 1 over 1 with horns, set in rusticated surrounds with flat-arched heads containing keyblocks; to the second floor, three-light windows divided by small stone Doric columns containing rectangular fixed lights with top-hung vents (the central lights being modern replacements not to the original pattern), with the columns carrying a frieze and dentil cornice, and small bowed open stone balustrades projecting between the pedestals; to the third floor, three-light windows set in semi-circular rusticated arches, with rectangular timber fixed lights and three-pane semi-circular arched fanlights; to the fourth floor or attic storey, three-light timber Diocletian windows set in stilted semi-circular arches with moulded architraves and keystones. Attic windows to the curved end bays are rectangular headed, containing two-light timber windows set in lugged surrounds with keystone.

South Elevation

The south elevation is of similar character, style, materials and storey heights as the entrance elevation but with a different arrangement and some differences in detailing. The arrangement comprises a seven-bay central breakfront flanked each side by two-bay recesses, leading to projecting pedimented single bays similar to those of the entrance front including a pair of massive copper urn finials surmounting each projecting bay, terminating at the right-hand extremity by the domed circular tower on the corner with the entrance elevation, and at the left-hand extremity by a two-bay recess. The detailing differs in the use of Ionic pilasters to the giant order running through the second and third floors instead of attached columns, and segmental arched three-light windows to the second floor of the main walls instead of tripartite windows with a Doric order carrying a flat entablature.

North Elevation

The north elevation is similar to the south elevation except that there is no central breakfront between the projecting square bays, and the detailing to the fourth floor is different in part. In the main recessed plane of the fourth floor there is no balustraded parapet: window head height is taller than in the extreme right-hand end bay. Windows are large rectangular 12-pane lights set in broad plain surrounds, with a projecting Doric pilaster between each window. The pilasters support a plain entablature and blocking course parapet, with a segmental pediment over each alternate window between short pedestals in line with each pilaster. At ground level, the second window from the right in the recessed main wall has been opened to the ground to form a later doorway.

Rear Elevation

The rear elevation is of plain character compared with the other three main elevations. It is of five storeys rising to a sixth storey in the central bays which were added in 1910 from first floor level up. The walling is of red brick with parapet roofs, except for rectangular spandrel panels of concrete bricks in second and third floors of central bays (modern replacements for original shallow oriels). Short returns of Portland stone quoins and cornices from the north and south elevations appear at extremities. Above the parapet level, to the left of the 1910 extension, rises a square red brick chimney of tapering profile, and to the right of centre of the elevation is a short red brick chimney above the parapet. Downpipes are both cast iron and PVC; there is a later large modern metal flue pipe, full height.

Window openings are mainly segmental arched except for the upper two floors of three bays to each end which are semi-circular arched; three large projecting rectangular central bays to first, second, and third floors which were part of the 1910 extension; and rectangular concrete lintels to some windows with segmental brick relieving arches. Windows are original arched timber sliding sash, 2 over 2 with horns; original timber fixed lights with arched toplights; and later replacement modern windows, both timber and PVC.

In the bay to the left of the chimney stack, the ground floor contains a pair of modern flush timber doors set in a cement rendered infill panel. Above, in the first floor, the window opening contains a decoratively treated wrought iron grille backed by filter material. Above, in the second floor, the opening contains a similar grille in front of a three-light window. The fifth ground floor opening from the left contains high-level louvres. The fifth ground floor opening from the right contains an original glazed and panelled segmental headed timber door with glazing now broken and boarded over on the inside. The third ground floor opening from the right contains a pair of rectangular flush timber doors with arched four-pane fanlight, reached by a flight of concrete steps. A wide central opening on the ground floor has been later bricked up, and to the left of that there is also a rectangle of modern brickwork containing four modern louvred openings.

Interior Open Courts

Exterior faces of interior open courts (visible only from within the building) are of glazed white brickwork. They contain segmental arched window openings with original arched timber sliding sash windows, vertically hung, 1 over 1, and 2 over 2, with horns, except for large windows of the Central Hall running through first and second floors which are of decorative leaded lights.

Roofs

Roofs of single storey rooms on the ground floor within open courts are of hipped form and glazed. The room of the transverse wing (containing the Central Hall) is double pitched, of Bangor blue slates in regular courses, with flush rooflights. Roofs of the east, south, west, and north wings are flat, covered with asphalt, with glazed north-lights. Chimneys are of red brick with original red pots. There are large circular conically capped metal ventilators to stairwells.

Setting

The building stands in a central urban area of the city, facing directly onto two main roads on the east and north side, while its south side overlooks the large front lawn of an adjacent school, and the west side overlooks a tarmac access road to the school and the school buildings themselves. The setting to the south allows medium range views of the entire south elevation, while from much further south, looking north along Great Victoria Street, the domical roofs of this building are conspicuous on the skyline. On the north side the building faces a range of early 19th century buildings, while on the east side the building faces late 20th century modern buildings. In long views from the east along Wellington Place the building forms a prominent element just in front of, and partly obscuring the main front of the Royal Belfast Academical Institution.