Historic building transformed for modern office occupation

Evenacre has completed the £500,000 refurbishment of Grade I listed 122 Colmore Row, Birmingham.

The four-storey building comprises four office suites from 375 sq ft to 1,528 sq ft and a ground floor retail/leisure unit of 1,671 sq ft.

122 Colmore Row was completed in 1900 and is listed in Pevsner’s architectural guide as “one of the most important monuments of the Arts and Crafts Free Style in the country”. It was designed by influential Arts and Crafts architects William Lethaby and Joseph Lancaster Ball and credited with the break from revivalist architecture prevalent before the turn of the century, making it a building of European significance.

Evenacre acquired the 6,180 sq ft building, its second in Colmore Row, in 2011.
The company has restored the building’s stone façade and completed a sympathetic upgrade of the interior.

The common parts and office suites are to Grade A standards and include a feature reception and stair core; air conditioning; recessed LED lighting; a fully refurbished lift; feature plastered ceilings with inset cornices and, unusually for a building of its size, a basement shower and changing facilities.

The investment is Evenacre’s fourth in Bimingham city centre:  neighbouring 114-116 Colmore Row, and 158 and 170 Edmund Street make up the portfolio.

Paul Jones, managing director of Birmingham-based Evenacre, said: “122 Colmore Row is an architectural gem. In refurbishing the building we have been respectful of its heritage and period features but at the same time introduced contemporary styling and facilities demanded by the modern office occupier.”

CBRE has been appointed to market the space.

Theo Holmes, associate director in the office agency team, said: “122 Colmore Row combines Birmingham’s best office address with Evenacre’s trademark
high-end design and attention to detail. To find such an up-market specification on offices in this size range is unique in Birmingham city centre and as a result we already have a high level of interest.”