Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB26/50/234

Address :
Transport House 102 High Street Belfast Co Antrim BT1 3ET

Townland:
Town Parks

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Survey 2:
B+

Date of Listing:
07/04/1994 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Office

Former Use
Office

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
Partially

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OS Map No:
130-13NE

IG Ref:
J3415 7451

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Owner Category

Exterior Description And Setting

A freestanding multi-storey modernist office building, built c.1959 in the International Style to designs by J.J. Brennan. Wedge-shaped on plan of frame construction and comprising two co-joined blocks, one five stories in height, the other seven, largely clad in green faience tiles, with the seven-storey block projecting and supported at the south end by pilotis. Flat roof, edged in concrete coping with boiler house located on roof; aluminium downpipes. Walling is clad in green faience tiles embedded in red mortar to principal south and east elevations, over a recessed white tiled ground floor and rock-faced granite plinth; north elevation has brown brick base beneath a cast concrete string course, upper storeys have concrete cladding panels with exposed aggregate framed at either side by three vertical courses of green tiles; west elevation is of brown brick throughout. Metal framed glazing throughout with cast concrete cills, detailed with each elevation. Principal south-facing elevation is split level, with narrower seven-storey block at left having a slightly concave profile and supported on two circular pilotis clad in black glazed tiles over a mosaic base; it bears a full height tiled mural in Russian Constructivist style depicting the industries of Ulster – planes, cranes, a ship, a factory, and a group of workers. A concrete canopy is cantilevered over the entrance, which comprises a recessed porch addressed by three steps wrapping around the building at the south-east corner, supported on a further three columns at east (porch concealed by temporary boarding). The interior of the porch is clad in white glazed tiling and bears a black polished granite foundation plaque at left cheek inscribed with the date of 1958 (for full inscription see Historical Information). Above entrance, each floor of the five-storey section is lit by a panel of curtain glazing, divided by full height cast concrete mullions and having black apron panelling between floors. Applied lettering (replacement lettering to top, reading ‘Unite the Union’, and original lettering arranged vertically to right side reading ‘Transport House’. The projecting seven-storey section contains the stairwell, which is lit to right cheek by a full height glazed opening, with staggered lights arranged in three vertical strips. West elevation has similar detailing to right side, which contains stairwell light as opposite, with green-tiled wall to extreme right terminating at an oblique angle. To southernmost section rises to seven storeys, the stairwell and top two storeys of the remaining seven storey section are tiled and contain services; irregular fenestration generally comprising wide horizontal windows to all levels; the remainder of the elevation is of five storeys, with top three storeys lit by a panel of glazed curtain walling, as before; first and ground floor have a series of windows divided by brick mullions. To extreme left is a full height stairwell light, as before. North elevation is narrower, and is lit to centre by a single full height glazed strip, lighting north stairwell. East elevation is dominated by a large glazed curtain walling panel, slightly recessed into the face of the wall with a narrow drip mould over, and lighting first to fourth floors; full height concrete mullions between lights. Ground floor has a porch at either end, and the ground floor between is lit by a long horizontal glazed strip, each window having four lights and divided by a concrete mullion. The porch at left has been described with the south elevation; that to right is also concealed by temporary boarding and is supported on a black tiled column at north-east corner. Setting The building is located on a tight corner site at the junction of Victoria Street and High Street, in a busy urban location east of the city centre. Opposite to south is St George’s Church (HB26/50/045) and to east, the Albert Memorial Clock (HB26/50/055). Roof: Flat concrete Walling: Frame construction, faience cladding Windows: Metal framed RWG: Aluminium

Architects

Brennan, J. J. & Co.

Historical Information

No. 102 High Street, also known as Transport House, was constructed between 1956 and 1959 for the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers Union. The building was first recorded in the 2nd General Revaluation of property in Northern Ireland which initially valued the site at £2,736, however this high value was lowered to £2,580 in 1960 as a result of an appeal made by the owners. The building was first depicted on the current edition of the Ordnance Survey map in 1959-1960 which depicted the building along its current layout; no discernible alteration has been made to the building since its erection over five decades ago. With the advent of the Victorian period Belfast was transformed from a minor Irish town into one of the most important industrial cities in Britain; several new industries including cotton, linen, shipbuilding, rope making, and tobacco manufacturers emerged in the city resulting in the expansion of the indigenous skilled workforce. Growing distrust between employers and employees, coupled with inequality in working standards resulted in the organization of Belfast’s first trade unions. In 1881 the Belfast United Trades’ Council was established to protect the rights of workers in the city. The Amalgamated Transport and General Workers Union (ATGWU) was originally established in Britain in 1922 (where it was simply known as the Transport and General Workers’ Union); at its height the organisation was the largest trade union in the world possessing an approximate membership of 900,000. As the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers’ Union strengthened there was a growing desire to form an official headquarters for the organisation. Transport House was erected on the junction of Victoria Street and High Street, appropriately close to the Belfast Docks where the majority of trade entered Belfast, and where the Belfast Dockers’ strike took place in 1907 (Heatley, p. 40; Larmour, p. 97). Transport House, a five-and-seven-storey office building executed in the International style, was designed by J. J. Brennan (d. 1966), a Belfast-based architect with offices on Royal Avenue, who later constructed the offices for the Amalgamated Engineering Union on Antrim Road (1964) as well as a number of Roman Catholic Churches and public elementary schools in the city (Dictionary of Irish Architects). Larmour describes Brennan’s design as ‘a dramatic working of International style themes but sombre and heavy in feel. Entirely clad in tilework, mostly green, with curved end wall sailing out on black pilotis or pillars’ (Larmour, p. 97). The illustrations adorning the five-storey facade represents each of the city’s diverse industries symbolised by (top to bottom) an aeroplane, construction cranes, a ship, a public transport bus and, finally, workers in a line (Patton, p. 192). An inscription to porch reads: ‘THIS STONE WAS LAID ON THE 25TH OCTOBER 1958 BY FRANK COUSINS ESQ. GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE AMALGAMATED TRANSPORT AND GENERAL WORKERS UNION IN THE PRESENCE OF THE RT. HON THE LORD MAYOR OF BELFAST ALDERMAN MAJOR WILLIAM CECIL MCKEE J.P. E.R.D. AND NORMAN KENNEDY ESQ. IRISH SECRETARY AT A.T.&G.W.U. AND A DISTINGUISHED GATHERING OF CIVIC AND UNION REPRESENTATIVES / CARVILLE & SONS LTD. CONTRACTORS / J.J.BRENNAN & W.R.P. BOWDEN, ARCHITECTS & ENGINEERS” Transport House was listed in 1994, however since that time the future of the former headquarters has become uncertain. In 2007 the sign at the top of the building, formerly reading ‘T.G.W.U. (Transport and General Workers’ Unions) was replaced when Unite the Union, Britain’s largest trade union, took over the premises; the current sign now reads ‘Unite the Union’ and includes the unions’ red-flag insignia. Despite the change in ownership, Transport House currently lies vacant, the bottom floor and entrances are boarded up, although the building itself remains in a generally good state of repair. The building is one of Belfast’s more distinctive landmarks, an example of the International Modern style; in 2009, the 50th anniversary of its completion, the Belfast Telegraph described the union headquarters as ‘one of the city’s most striking and unique buildings ... a perfect representation of Belfast in the 1950s – forward looking, confident and with a solid industrial base’ (Belfast Telegraph). References Primary Sources 1. PRONI VAL/4/B/7/38-42 – Second General Revaluation of Northern Ireland 1956-72 2. Ordnance Survey Map – 130-13NE (1959-60) 3. First Survey Record – HB26/50/234 (1993) 4. First Survey Image – HB26/50/234 (1993) 5. Belfast Telegraph (19 May 2009) Secondary Sources 1. Heatley, F., ‘Belfast: Paintings and stories from the city’ Donaghadee, Cottage publications, 1998. 2. Larmour, P., ‘Belfast: An illustrated architectural guide’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1987. 3. Patton, M., ‘Central Belfast: An historical gazetteer’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1993 Online Resources 1. Dictionary of Irish Architects - http://www.dia.ie

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form I. Quality and survival of Interior J. Setting

Historic Interest

V. Authorship W. Northern Ireland/International Interest Z. Rarity

Evaluation

Transport House is an iconic modernist building located on a prominent corner site built 1959 in the International style to designs by J.J. Brennan of Belfast. The building, comprising two co-joined blocks of five and seven storeys respectively, is dominated by a full-height tiled mural in Russian Constructivist style, reflecting the aspects of transport and industry represented by the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers Union, for whom the building was constructed. The building is a notable departure from the traditional architectural forms that define the City, demonstrating technological developments in architecture, materials and engineering, while producing a distinctive aesthetic, based on Corbusian ideals of regaining ground space through use of pilotis, extensive use of transparent cladding, and exhibiting visual interest through variation in the use of cladding materials. While the structural frame is hidden from view, the possibilities in terms of light, height and internal space are evident. Transport House is also of significance in reflecting the rise of the trade union movement in post-war society.

General Comments

Date of Survey

29 August 2012