Former Birmingham hotel to be bar and restaurant
A new bar and a restaurant will be opened at the former Grand Hotel in Birmingham next year, it has been announced.
The Alchemist and Italian restaurant Gusto will be housed in the historic site in Colmore Row.
Cocktails will be created by teams of mixologists at The Alchemist, and the decor will be similar to the owners' other site in Manchester.
Tony Green, chief executive of owners Hortons' Estate, said: "We always intended to change those units back to food and beverage, and there has been a lot of interest.
"Technically they haven't signed up yet – there are still some hurdles to get over.
"There is so much interest in the food and beverage sector at the moment.
"We could have rented out all the units for food and beverage but we wanted to get the right blend." Designed by architect Thomson Plevins, construction on the Grand Hotel began in 1875 and the business opened in 1879.
Extensions and extensive interior renovations were undertaken by prominent Birmingham architecture firm Martin & Chamberlain from 1890 to 1895.
It was closed down back in 2002 and has remained empty ever since.
