Malmaison Newcastle-upon-Tyne - Former Cooperative Society Warehouse

Architect	Louis Gustave Mouchel
Date Built	1900 - 1902
Location	Quayside, Newcastle
Description
The Newcastle Malmaison Hotel occupies a position on the Quayside adjacent to the new Millennium Bridge and looking across the Tyne towards the Baltic and Sage on the Gateshead side. The hotel, with its elegant art nouveau entrance canopy, inhabits a former Co-operative Society warehouse. The Co-op Society annual report for 1915 makes reference to the building. It says, "The erection of this building was commenced in 1900 and completed in 1902. It originally consisted of eight floors, but in 1909 an extension became necessary and the roof, which had hitherto been flat, was covered in. The building is 90ft. wide by 120ft. long, and the height from floor to ceiling on each floor is a little over 11 ft. It is capable of warehousing between 7,000 and 8,000 tons. Being conveniently situated to the river and in close proximity to that part of the quay where the London, Continental, and other regular lines of steamers discharge their cargoes, it has proved to be a great boon to the departments it serves. One of the floors is used as a bonded store for the warehousing of dutiable goods, and it is, of course, only open during regulation hours. There are loading and discharging platforms fronting the quayside, and also at the back, which opens out into Sandgate. All goods on account of the Grocery, Butter, and No. 1 Grain Departments are dealt with by the staff there, and machinery has been installed for cleaning fruit and grain." The building was constructed using a "Ferro-concrete" system developed by François Hennebique in France and employed in the UK under licence by Louis Gustave Mouchel. The first building erected using this system was the Weaver Building built in Swansea Docks in 1897. The technique involved the use of concrete reinforced with mild steel with the objective of providing fire resistance and robust construction at a competitive price. In 1994 a £300,000 refurbishment of the Grade II listed warehouse was completed by Newcastle Quayside Developments Ltd and Amec Building.