Plymouth’s Athenaeum is to get a facelift that could help the historic institution open its doors to the public once more, thanks to a grant of £86,194 from Historic England.
The Council has been liaising with the charity to help them apply to Historic England for funding under their High Street Heritage Action Zone scheme. And they have just learned that their bid to restore the front façade of the building has been successful.
The Athenaeum is an historically important post-war building within the City Centre Conservation Area. The Plymouth Athenaeum charitable society moved to its current building in June 1961, on almost the exact location of its pre-Blitz home.
The project includes:
- repair and repainting window glazing and steel frames
- repair and specialist cleaning of concrete wall cladding and brickwork
- repair of concrete columns and plinths
- repair of roof parapets and edging
- repair and update original external lighting and signage.
Councillor Mark Shayer, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance said: “The Athenaeum is part of Plymouth’s history. Its members have included Charles Darwin and stamp dealer Stanley Gibbons among a very distinguished list.
“Its modern building has seen the likes of the Beatles, Arnold Schwarzenegger and, Malcolm McDowell and it’s an important venue for performing literature, arts and culture.
“But closure during the pandemic has led to repair and maintenance issues and like many organisations, the charity is still recovering from the impact of the pandemic.
“This funding will help improve the state of this important building and hopefully see the Athenaeum open its doors once more and resume its important role in the city’s cultural scene.”
The building has a 340-seat theatre, lecture hall, meeting rooms and library. It generates income through memberships, room and theatre hire, donations, legacies and investments.
Some of its meeting rooms and the library are now open for member activities and for hire, but no major events have taken place since the start of the pandemic due to the repair and maintenance issues.
Chief Executive of the Athenaeum, Owen Ryles said: “The HSHAZ funding will help to address a range of repair and maintenance issues to the outside of the building and give the front of the Athenaeum a much-needed and very welcome facelift, which will significantly improve its appearance.
“We would really like to thank Plymouth City Council and Historic England for the funding award and for their help and support during the application process. The HSHAZ award will make a tremendous difference to the project to re-open the Athenaeum’s theatre.”
Simon Hickman, Principal Inspector of Historic Buildings at Historic England South West said “The Athenaeum symbolises the spirit of the post war rebuilding of Plymouth. The City was confident to rebuild a cultural institution that had been lost to the Blitz in a bold and modern style. It’s a miniature version of London’s Royal Festival Hall, and with a bit of care and attention it’ll look just as stylish as its famous counterpart once again.”
Planned improvements to the front entrance, including a disabled access ramp, are subject to another funding application through the Crowdfunder/City Change Fund scheme. The society also plan to raise funds for internal repair works, including the theatre balcony and toilets, in order to get the theatre open again.
The Plymouth City Centre High Street Heritage Action Zone programme – 'reinvigorating the Abercrombie Estate' – is a four-year programme celebrating, enhancing and adapting the City Centre's post-war heritage and making it a more attractive, engaging and vibrant place for people to live, work and spend time.
The Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) project is managed by Plymouth City Council and Plymouth Culture, with support from The Box and Plymouth Octopus Project. It's part of a £95 million government-funded programme which is being delivered by Historic England to unlock the potential of 60 different high streets across the country.