Albany (Liverpool)
The Albany Building is a 19th-century Grade II* listed building located on Old Hall Street, in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. Built originally as a meeting place for cotton brokers, it has since been converted into apartments. History. The Albany was erected in 1856 for Richard Naylor, a banker, and designed by J.K. Colling. It was built as a meeting place for cotton brokers, and contained offices and meeting rooms, together with warehousing facilities in the basement. It is one of the earliest examples of Victorian offices in Liverpool. The central courtyard was originally uncovered, to provide good light  for the brokers to examine their cotton samples. It was converted into apartments in 2004–05. Architecture. The building is in three storeys plus a basement, and its front on Old Hall Street has eleven bays. The basement is constructed in rusticated granite, the ground floor in rusticated ashlar, and the upper storeys in brick with stone dressings. The round-arched entrance is in the central bay, and consists of a granite surround with a keystone, carvings in the spandrels. Over this is a frieze and a segmental pediment. The ground floor windows are three-light sashes, with segmental heads and  keystones. Above the windows is a cornice. The first floor windows also have segmental heads; these contain carved archivolts and tympana. The windows in the top floor are smaller, with stone architraves and keystones. Along the top of the building is a carved frieze, a cornice supported by brackets, and a balustraded parapet. The side elevations are plainer, and still include cast iron hoists. The main entrance contains cast iron gates made to look like wrought iron. Inside is a coffered and barrel vaulted passage leading to the central courtyard, containing red granite columns and decorated with elaborate plasterwork. Today . Today the Albany comprises 140 two and three-bedroom luxury apartments and penthouses. with 24 hour concierge services and stacker parking. The lit courtyard can be seen from through the glass doors from the street and boasts the largest outdoor Swarovski crystal chandeliers in Europe. The courtyard draws admiration from many passers-by. The Albany was used in the filming of the China Melville TV adaptation "The City & the City."