http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a366/robinsonworld/HPIM0674.jpg

5 stories, dunno about the height anyone know? But it's not huge.

So why is this stumpy in the Rate-a-'scraper poll?
Because it's the first Steel frame/glass curtain wall building that's all!!*, built in 1864. And as such is a very important building in the history of the skyscraper.

Just look at the size of the Windows!

*Possibly, I'll need to double check that fact, but an early one, anyway

Nice looking building, and has historical importance. This style looks funny with such large windows!

8/10

Anyone got more photos of this, because it's exquisite in the flesh! 9/10

Needs a good scrub but nice. 8/10

It's now owned by Bruntwood, so expect it to be painted yellow and have blacked-out windows installed. Oh, and the obligatory big illuminated Bruntwood sign on the top. :D

Its interesting to know that the architect hated this building and considered it to be his worst ever working and this resulted in him giving up architecture and designing buildings...

great building
9/10

Its interesting to know that the architect hated this building and considered it to be his worst ever working and this resulted in him giving up architecture and designing buildings...
The 'Architects' Journal' hated the building. They were a construction magazine I think, aimed at architects. :)

Peter Ellis din't write about how shit he thought his building was in a diary- although I can see where the confusion lies! :lol:

I think the general consensus is that Peter Ellis pretty much abandoned architecture due to the critical brickbats thrown at both Oriel Chambers and 16 Cook Street.

If only we could reach back in time and shake his hand.

A few quick close-ups here:

http://www.liverpoolarchitecture.com/tours/buildings/building.php?id=25

Cheers Damon. I remember once there was a 'Guess the Year' thread. I put 16 Cook Street up there, and everybody assumed it was built around the 1920's-30's. :)

I would have said late Victorian going into early Art-deco ish. So that just goes to show what I know.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a366/robinsonworld/HPIM0972.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a366/robinsonworld/HPIM0971.jpg

this is one of the most important buildings ever designed. without this there would be no skyscrapaers. this building revolutionised how we work in an office, and its that simple. this building is one of the most historically important in the uk and indeed the world as it is the first modern building.

9/10 plenty of history behind it and it looks good enough to me.

Interesting building ,was way ahead of it's time 9/10

How much did it cost to make glass panes that big in 1864?

yeah, it actually pre-empts art noveau by decades in terms of the aesthetics. its a really impressive building from that direction too. the tragedy is the architect never lived long enough to see he had done a work of genius. i take it this building is part of the world heritage site?

Love this building. 10/10

i take it this building is part of the world heritage site?

It is indeed. In fact, pretty much everything up to the Sefton/Knowsley boundary is in the fucking buffer zone. Just ask Maro. :rant:

Does anybody have any decent pictures of 16 Cook Street that they could post?

:cheers:

Does anybody have any decent pictures of 16 Cook Street that they could post?

:cheers:

Has its own wiki page!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/16_Cook_Street
http://www.liverpoolarchitecture.com/tours/buildings/building.php?id=30
http://www.engineering-timelines.com/scripts/engineeringItem.asp?id=641

That engineering timelines site is fantastic - well worth exploring.

http://www.engineering-timelines.com/itempics/building/16cookStreet.jpg

How on earth is the building in the first picture 8/10-10/10 like some of you are rating?

what am i missing?

6/10.

Skyscrapers would not be around without it. Well, they wouldnt have appeared so early without it.

The story goes that this building was pretty much ignored for the first 80 years or so of its life and as others have mentioned when did attract attention it was usually negative.
But then however it sustained some damage in the Blitz and some of the internal structure was revealed. All the Modernist architects of the day who had thought they were at the cutting edge of structural design with steel frames and curtain walling were shocked to discover this building had beaten them to it by nearly 60 years.
Legend has it that nearly all of the big boys at the time (Corb, Mies etc etc) either visited or made a point of reading about it and had to concede that much of the thinking they had thought was so revolutionary in the early C20th had been done 50 years earlier by Peter Ellis.
Some consider this to be the most important building not only in Liverpool but in the story of Modernist architecture.

Thats what you are missing Insignia!

9/10

Decades ahead of it's time


S_pQPhVWNTY&fmt=18

Have Bruntwood painted it yellow yet?

1864!

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/198/495357365_3395af28e9.jpg

^^It clearly isn't, there's a motorised taxi cab in the bottom of the picture. :|

Taxi for...^^

http://www.yoliverpool.com/forum/images/smilies/taxi.gif

10/10 I love the style and windows!