Albany (Liverpool)
The Albany Building is a 19th-century Grade II* listed building on Old Hall Street in Liverpool, England. Originally built as a meeting place for cotton brokers, it has since been converted into apartments.
History
The Albany Building is located on Old Hall Street, at the western edge of Liverpool's city centre, and a short walk from Moorfields rail station. Constructed in 1856 at the height of the city's expansion, it is one of Liverpool's most highly regarded works of architecture. The Albany Building was built under the instruction of local banker and racehorse owner Richard Naylor and designed by J. K. Colling. It was built as a meeting place for cotton brokers and contained offices, meeting rooms, and warehousing facilities in the basement. It is one of the earliest examples of Victorian offices in Liverpool. The central courtyard is uncovered and provides good mutual light for the brokers to examine their cotton samples. The building gained Grade II* listed status on 12 July 1966. During the 1970s to 1980s, it was mainly used as offices, warehousing, and storage. The building was sympathetically renovated and converted into apartments in 2004–05.The Albany comprises 137 apartments in total, made up of two and three-bedroom luxury apartments and penthouses. The building has a 24-hour concierge service and features a bespoke car parking stacker system designed and installed by Wöhr Parking, using a short space to store 84 cars. The courtyard can be seen through the glass doors from the street and has the largest outdoor Swarovski crystal chandeliers in Europe.