A building which has stood in Sheffield city centre for well over a century, and now the former Salvation Army Citadel, has been acquired by Sheffield City Council.
The building, on Cross Burgess Street, opened in 1894 and was used by the Salvation Army for more than a century as their main church venue, before the charity moved out in 1999. Since then, the building, which includes a Grade II listed, red-bricked castle-style frontage, has remained empty.
The Citadel is surrounded by developments that have already transformed the city centre including the Heart of the City project, the award-winning Cambridge Street Collective foodhall, Leah’s Yard and several new shops, cafes and leisure venues including Pounds Park.
The building stands next to the brand-new Radisson Blu Hotel, a 4-star hotel with 154 rooms and rooftop bar and restaurant including an outdoor terrace overlooking the Peace Gardens.
Across the road is the former Cole Brothers department store, where regeneration company Urban Splash are currently putting plans together for the future of the building. Work is also nearing completion on Fargate to transform it into a new public realm area complete with ‘Grey to Green’ planting with the project linking in with the upcoming pedestrianisation of Pinstone Street and Surrey Street.
Sheffield City Council has already started the process of assessing the building and determining what the future usage of it could be with a further announcement expected in the coming months.
In a joint statement following the conclusion of the deal, Cllr Ben Miskell, chair of the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee at Sheffield City Council and Mr Robert Hill said: “Sheffield City Council and Tandem Properties Limited are pleased to have reached terms to settle court proceedings and at the same time the Council has acquired the property known as the Citadel.
“Sheffield City Council will now be progressing plans to see this important heritage building improved and both parties look forward to proposals then being progressed to see the building brought back into use. Neither party will be making further comment on this agreement.”
