Empire House

Empire House is a building of group value, constructed in the 1920s with a Neo-Georgian facade applied to a Hennebique type reinforced concrete structure and a largely flat roof, with a mansard roof to the front. The symmetrical front elevation has seven bays and five main storeys, plus two attic storeys. The exterior is predominantly red brick in Flemish bond, with a channelled Portland stone ground floor and similar freestone dressings. Details include a bracket cornice at the top, bracketed pedimented architraves to the first-floor windows, and a guilloche pattern cornice band at ground floor level; a brick band course runs below the fourth floor. The front mansard roof is of Westmorland slate, with high parapets and brick chimney stacks that have been reduced in height on the left side. The upper attic has flat-roofed dormers, and the lower attic has gabled dormers with pediments over the windows. Horned sash windows are set throughout, with 12 panes on the main floors, brick voussoirs above the second, third and fourth floors, channelled voussoirs to the ground floor, and 9 panes in the attic. Downpipes are contained within corner recesses. The central entrance features a bracketed cornice and applied lettering to its frieze; above the renewed panelled double doors is a traceried fanlight with roundels in the spandrels, and a fluted band. An inner porch is accessed through the entrance.

A semicircular arched entrance from the inner porch leads to a hall with a similar glazed and traceried fanlight, featuring a central urn over a frieze carried on fluted pilasters in a Palladian style. Latticed glazed double doors with fluted borders and brass fittings provide access.

The interior retains fine contemporary Classical detailing. The entrance leads to a semicircular arched, tunnel-vaulted, cross-shaped hall lined in fielded mahogany panelling and floored in black and white marble tiles, with panelled bands around the arches. A coffered section in the front corridor features inset bosses, while the central foyer is groin vaulted and contains a large, polygonal copper lamp ornamented with angle colonnettes. The panelling extends to imply that the vaulting rests on crossing piers. Light-wells illuminate the transeptal areas via square-panel glazing, and both have round-arched doorways with similar detailing. The rear of the hall is occupied by a staircase rising around the lift shaft, which retains its original frame and solid mahogany car manufactured by Waygood - Otis, along with its clock face. Original brass light fittings are retained. Doors to the right hall open onto the former Accounts section, with a lobby and half-glazed partitions. A rectangular Board Room/Chairman’s office is located off this area; the walls are mahogany panelled to approximately 2.5 metres in height, with some panels concealing cupboards. Above the panelling are rectangular borders framing pictures. The ceiling has a dentil cornice and finely detailed bands of festooned plasterwork forming a semi-circle in front of the fireplace, which is marble with a bracketed mahogany mantelpiece. A bracketed cornice features above the doorcase.