A PALACE which has played several roles in Tyneside’s recent history has been put on the market to tempt prospective buyers.
The listed former Palace of Arts in Exhibition Park in Newcastle has been empty and deteriorating for five years.
It is the last surviving building from the biggest event ever held in the city – the 1929 North East Coast Exhibition, which attracted 4.3 million visitors.
The exhibition’s major attractions included palaces of engineering and industries, but the palace of arts was built to a more sturdy design because of the value of the artworks it displayed.
It later served as Newcastle Museum of Science and Engineering and then the Military Vehicles Museum.
But the future of the building has posed a problem to Newcastle City Council, especially against the backdrop of the award earlier this year by the Heritage Lottery Fund of £2.4m towards the restoration of Exhibition Park.
Now the council, which can no longer afford the care and repair costs of the building, has put it up for sale with a closing date for offers of February 1.
Anthony McKenna, city council head of leisure services, said: “We want to see if there is interest and if any commercial users can put together a business plan which will safeguard the building and be complementary to the park and its regeneration.
“If so it is likely we would work in partnership.
“The Palace of Arts was a focal point in the design of the North East Coast Exhibition. It is part of Newcastle’s skyline and a place which is close to many people’s hearts.”
It is expected that the major part of the revitalisation work on the park will start next autumn. Keith Pimm, of the Exhibition and Brandling Parks Community Trust, said: “We have been pressing the council to do something with the building for some time.
“It is important for the building to find a use and we welcome the fact that something is happening.
“We hope the council’s move is successful because if nothing is done the condition of the building will blight the park. We don’t want to lose a building which is part of the historic fabric of the park.”
Work has started on the trust-led £96,000 Lakeside Explorer scheme at Exhibition Park to turn the Town Moor end of the site’s boating lake into a mosaic of habitats to attract wildlife and provide a leisure asset for visitors.
Council cabinet member for quality of life Henri Murison said: “The museum is one of Tyneside’s most recognisable buildings.
“It has been admired by millions of people over the years who visited the Tyneside Summer Exhibition and Exhibition Park. It has fallen into a state of disrepair and in these financially challenging times we can no longer afford to repair it, so reluctantly we are putting it up on the market.
“We would like to hear a range of ideas for future use of the building which are innovative and socially inclusive.”
To view the building, contact Katy Connolly at the council on 0191 2115528.
