File:The Argent Centre - Frederick Street - Jewellery Quarter - The Pen Room (8323152664).jpg

The Argent Centre on the corner of Legge Lane and Frederick Stret in the Jewellery Quarter.

View from Frederick Street.

The building is Grade II* listed. Listed as <a href="http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-217083-premises-occupied-by-gallen-kamp-argent-" rel="noreferrer nofollow">Premises Occupied by Gallen Kamp (Argent Works), Birmingham</a>

   FREDERICK STREET
   1.
   5104
   Hockley B1
   Premises occupied by
   Gallen Kamp
   (Argent works)
   SP 0687 SW 28/8
   II*
   2.
   Corner site with Legge Lane. The former Argent Works of 1862-63, architect
   J G Poland. A large 3 and 4 storey L-plan works enclosing single storey shed
   on 2 sides. Built as a pen manufacturing for Q E Wiley who also installed
   a Turkish Baths in the 4 storey block at the end of the Frederick Street range.
   Red brick with stone and gault and buff brick dressings, banding and chequerwork
   achieving a lively polychromy. The arcaded elevations take their inspiration
   from Florentine - Lombard early Renaissance palazzi with corner towers to the
   9 bay Legge Lane front and the Hamman providing a similar emphasis to the
   end of the 22 bay Frederick Street range. The ground floor is slightly battered,
   its carcaded windows with polychrome voussoirs. A billet mould string course
   forms the base of the principal 2 storey arcade containing 2 light windows
   divided by colonettes, those on second floor with stone plate tracery in the
   arches. Stone machicolated main cornice with low parapet, originally pierced
   and later heightened in plain brick nearly to the eaves of the tower belvederes.
   The latter had tiled spires which have been truncated. The Hamman block has
   plain sash windows in the narrower bays of its arcade corresponding to those
   in corner towers and with the same arcaded lights to its belvedere storey.
   The pedimented doorway to Legge Lane is C1900 insertion. Modern waggon
   entrance to Frederick Street. Segmental arched doorway to former Hamman contained
   in right hand of 3 large ground floor arches. The fireproof construction
   is of some interest, the floors consisting of flat hollow brick arches with
   wrought iron tie rods linked to right L iron skewbacks, the floors are paved
   with brick internally and the flat roof was asphalted. The chimney stack
   rising to the rear of the former Hamman is square and tapered with polychrome
   banding to the cap. This stack served the engine of the manufactory, excess
   steam being used for the baths. The Argent Works are the large in the inner
   jewellry quarter area and Legge Lane elevation dominates Newhall Hill.
   For details of construction see "The Building News" 21 Aug 1863, p 650.

   Listing NGR: SP0609387387

The Argent Centre is built on the site where Washington Irving conceived the Rip Van Winkle story.

A museum in The Argent Centre called The Pen Room.