Designed by Leonard Stokes and J. W. Beaumont, this former telephone exchange was built in 1909.  Pevsner says of it, "Freestyle, an original and subtle design with gently canted bays of fine red brick, in places laid in herringbone pattern, with blue brick banding and sparing white faience decoration.

The Manchester Blitz in 1940 destroyed an area of warehouses behind Piccadilly Gardens.  The devastating damage can be seen in the image below, taken in 1953.  One of the few buildings to survive was Number 26 York Street, Telephone Buildings (indicated by the arrow).