Upper floors of building that houses iconic Empire Exchange antiques shop to become flats

The upper floors of the grade-II listed building which is home to the iconic Empire Exchange antiques shop is set to be converted into flats.

St Margaret’s Chambers, just off Piccadilly Gardens on Newton Street in the city centre, will soon house 12 apartments in its upper levels. Previously, they were occupied by a language school which shut down in 2020.

The ground floor units are used as takeaways, cafes, and shops — including the Empire Exchange store, which is known for its incredible variety of antiques, plus the loud music played at the door to draw punters in.

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Built in 1890, St Margaret’s Chambers was designed by Charles Henry Heathcote — the architect behind many of the city centre’s most eye-catching structures, including the Onward Buildings on Deansgate. Originally, the Chambers were the Manchester office for the West India and Pacific Company.

Now, the space on its upper floors will be converted into flats as Heathcote’s layout ‘lends itself’ to apartments, according to architects Atelier MB. There will be four one-bedroom apartments, five two-beds, and three three-beds spread over four floors.

Andrew Burns, director at Atelier MB, said: “Originally St Margaret’s Chambers was built as offices partitioned off a central corridor. Today, that original layout now lends itself more easily to apartments and our proposals celebrate the building’s heritage, retaining and restoring many of the original features to create characterful new homes.

“St Margarets Chambers is a beautiful building and an important part of Manchester’s heritage. We