| Manchester Athenaeum | |
|---|---|
 Manchester Athenaeum is part of the art gallery | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Italian Palazzo style |
| Address | Princess Street, Manchester, England |
| Year(s) built | 1837 |
| Technical details | |
| Material | sandstone ashlar |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Sir Charles Barry |
| Designations | |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Official name | The Athenaeum |
| Designated | 2 October 1974 |
| Reference no. | 1270889 |
| Other information | |
| Public transit access | St Peter's Square tram stop |
The Athenaeum on Princess Street in Manchester, England, now part of Manchester Art Gallery, was originally a club built for the Manchester Athenaeum, a society for the "advancement and diffusion of knowledge", in 1837. The society, founded in 1835, met in the adjacent Royal Manchester Institution until funds had been raised for the building. The society survived financial difficulties to become the centre for Manchester's literary life. It ceased operations in 1938.
Sir Charles Barry designed the Athenaeum building in the Italian palazzo style, the first such building in the city. Manchester Corporation acquired the building in 1938.
In 2002, Manchester Art Gallery was extended by Hopkins Architects following an architectural design competition managed by RIBA Competitions to take in the Athenaeum.[1] It is linked to the art gallery by a glass atrium.[2] The Athenaeum is a grade II* listed building.[3]
- ^ Manchester Art Gallery, Royal Institute of British Architects, retrieved 1 May 2012
- ^ Manchester Art Gallery Case Study (PDF), Royal Institute of British Architects, archived from the original (PDF) on 14 December 2013, retrieved 2 May 2012
- ^ Historic England, "The Athenaeum 81 Princess Street (1270889)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 1 May 2012