First building The first Bank Buildings was a three-storey building designed by
Sir Robert Taylor and erected by
Waddell Cunningham between 1785 and 1787, known as Cunningham's Bank. The bank closed in 1798 and the building was converted to residential use, becoming the residence of the
Church of Ireland bishop of
Down and Connor,
Rev. Dr. William Dickson. The site of the bank was known as a place for
public executions, with the last execution being carried out in 1816, on the doorstep of the building.
Second building In 1853, the store became home to a wholesale drapery firm. Founded by businessmen William Robertson and Henry Hawkins (Waterford), J. C. Ledlie (Cork), and Robert Ferguson (Belfast), the business soon expanded and became a commercial department store.
Third building The best known Bank Buildings were constructed between 1899 and 1900.
August 2018 Fire and restoration On 28 August 2018, a fire broke out at roughly 11:00
BST near the roof of the building during business hours. Shoppers and staff were evacuated from the ground and first floors, and 11
fire appliances were called. The area around was cordoned off for public safety, and due to falling debris. The roof collapsed and the clock face was burnt out with the hands staying still at about 11:05. The fire was still spreading and had covered all floors of the building by 15:00 with more appliances called in to assist. The building suffered extensive damage to all levels, however the new wing of the building was relatively undamaged. In September 2018, a specialist team from London based firm Keltbray was called in to manage and undertake to extremely difficult job of making safe and demolition of part of the structure. In October 2018, Primark sent an application for planning permission to
Belfast City Council, in order to completely restore the building to its original 1900 appearance. The upper two floors and roof level were taken down, which allowed a façade retention scheme to be put in place. The stonework recovered during the removal of the top two storeys was numbered and labelled, to be reused later in reconstruction. The iconic clock face was removed for restoration and eventual reinstatement. On 3 December 2018, the area around Bank Buildings was reopened to pedestrians, with concrete-filled
shipping containers being used to support the fragile façades, and to protect the public from any potential collapse. Demolition of the damaged interior structure was completed by Keltbray in late 2019. Following reconstruction and restoration works, Primark reopened in Bank Buildings on 1 November 2022. ==Bank Buildings Football Club==