In Praise of 82 King Street

That 82 King Street remains a rather anonymous component of Manchester’s cityscape is perhaps the greatest indication as to the architectural-calibre of the city. The building has everything: a Grade I listed façade; a postmodern stone and glass fourteen-story tower block; and fantastic symmetry and elegance. In many ways, it’s a smaller and perhaps even more tasteful version of Dallas’ JP Morgan Chase Tower. And aesthetics aside, 82 King also serves an important purpose through housing the Bank of England Agency for the North West, among other significant financial bodies. Place 82 King in any other provincial city and it would likely become one of that city’s most iconic and recognisable structures. Though in Manchester, it barely gets noticed.

The sublime 100 King Street.

But 82 King’s obscurity isn’t all that surprising. King Street is Manchester’s principal hub for nineteenth-century architecture, and its easy for a structure to get lost within the street's rich tapestry. From the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution onwards, the street became home to most of the city’s financial institutions, and consequently, some extraordinary buildings were constructed on the famous thoroughfare. Structures of all different styles pervade King Street, from the Edwardian Baroque (and Grade II) Lloyds Building, to the Art Deco Castle that is 100 King Street, the area is home to some of Britain’s finest buildings. But 82 King is by no means a poor relation to any of its neighbouring structures; its just that it has some fierce competition to attract our attention and affection.

The best view of the tower of 82 King is from the centre of Albert Square - and this further precludes the building from capturing our attention. From this vantage point, the viewer is initially seduced by the majestic Manchester Town Hall, and can then observe the Northern Assurance Building as well as the top of the grossly-underrated Chancery Place. From Albert Square, 82 King looks like just another piece in the jigsaw; elegant and seemly, but a little on the short-side – perhaps a little too sensitive to the context of the surrounding area. 82 King’s perception problem will only be reinforced after the construction of No.2 St. Peter’s Square (and the possible redevelopment of London Scottish House): 82 King will quickly be surrounded by buildings of a similar height, only worsening its anonymity crisis. Perhaps if 82 King stood in Piccadilly, or even on Deansgate, its fortunes would be reversed and we would all likely give it the adoration that it warrants.  

It seems, then, that 82 King is destined to exist in relative obscurity – but this is a good thing. As I said at the beginning of the piece, that 82 King remains rather anonymous tells us all that we need to know about architecture in Manchester: the city has a plethora of important, elegant, tall, and interesting buildings. The corollary of this is that some wonderful structures will increasingly drift into obscurity and fail to be noticed or spoken of. If 82 King is a mere piece of the jigsaw, then the jigsaw is surely an impressive one.