Exchange Square

[the_holgate_roof]

Bar fresco was turned into a Pizza Shop (or did i just imagine that?)

Yeah, think it was Malones Pizza shop for a while, then that moved over the road further up Wilson St.

 

[ThatFragranceGuy]

I always remember it being hit and miss whether Bar Fresco was open or not in the early 2000's. I remember being out on a Monday or Tuesday and it'd be open, back out on a Friday and it'd be closed. We'd always head over that way for £2.50 trebles and then head over to the Royal Exchange before going down to Jumpin' Jacks. It was so much better for a night out than it is now.

The renovation round there is badly needed so this is certainly welcome and hopefully it'll lead to a nicer walk down to the Riverside on a matchday. Whichever way you walk at the moment seems to be full of derelict buildings or graffiti everywhere.

It was 1.50 trebles when I first started going out, it was great. used to go either there or madison for 50p hooch before empire

when jumpin jaks first opened, used to love the Friday nights there where you could drink all you like. I used to run a rock night at the arena and we'd go there early doors, drink as much as we could then before the free bar closed we would crop dust as many bottles as we could find, swap them at the bar and then stuff them in our coats and hop in a taxi to the arena. I ended up doing a night at Jaks briefly and they gave us a tour, all the old odeon stuff was still there as they'd only used a portion of the building for the club, the stuff was sold so no projector, seats etc, but otherwise untouched as they didn't need it.

Bit eye opening really, guy explained they were owned by luminar leisure who owned chicago rock, lava/ignite/liquid/its many other guises, stuff like oceana in leeds etc, and they basically paid about 30p a bottle of smirnoff ice so didnt really hurt them to give it away for a couple of hours as selling it for 3 quid a bottle later on raked it in

 

[ThatFragranceGuy]

I found this from 2018 as well so sounds like whoever owns the lease for all the shops owns the fresco one too so seems happy to let it sit

Cllr Margaret Walters asked about the future of Bar Fresco and Slam bar, the former Royal Exchange building.

The panel heard that Bar Fresco - empty for about a decade - is part of an active lease, which includes all the other shops on the Wilson Street side of the underpass.

But Michelle McPhee said that the council was in discussions with the leaseholder about its future - and that “there may be some movement” soon with the separate leaseholder of the former Royal Exchange.

 

[ThatFragranceGuy]

worth noting the fresco building is 4000 square foot total which is about 371 square meters, so about the size of 3 detached 4 bed houses in Teesside - some of that will be store rooms and office etc but I cant see a pizza shop taking up that entire unit even if their sign is wrapped all the way around it. I don't remember bar fresco even taking up the entire unit, I recall you went in / out via the door on the left hand side and bar was on the right hand side?

 

[Alexander Supertramp]

Trebles for singles!

 

[BlindBoyGrunt]

Did anybody else hear the story that they were going to fill the entire Cornerhouse with cement?

The people repairing the Station car park wanted to fill the cornerhouse with concrete as a cheap option but were denied permission.

What a dump the old Wickers World building is over the road as well.

That building is being renovated and turned back into office space.

 

[supermfc]

worth noting the fresco building is 4000 square foot total which is about 371 square meters, so about the size of 3 detached 4 bed houses in Teesside - some of that will be store rooms and office etc but I cant see a pizza shop taking up that entire unit even if their sign is wrapped all the way around it. I don't remember bar fresco even taking up the entire unit, I recall you went in / out via the door on the left hand side and bar was on the right hand side?

the entrance/exit was on the corner of the building. There was the main bar on the right side of the building and a smaller bar to the back left. The dj booth was somewhere around the middle of the venue.

Wouldnt have said it was that big inside but like you said, they may not have been using it all!

 

[Longpig]

Late 80's early 90's what became Fresco was Malones. It was massive and you could sit in. I went most Saturdays after work before going in the snooker place over Dundas Arcade. I distinctly recall watching a lass coming out of The Old Mint and gyrating herself on one of the old Victorian bollards outside. I remember a place called The Waffle Iron under the flyover nearby too. Dutch pancakes and the like.

 

[Glover_elbow]

The problem with all that area is elephant in the room which is the abomination known as the fly over. I would be reluctant to see any significant investment in that area until that was removed. Who on earth is going to want to sit on those seats with all the pollution from the fly over around. It would be interesting to see if the council even considered air quality before spending on that new seating area

 

[ThatFragranceGuy]

Late 80's early 90's what became Fresco was Malones. It was massive and you could sit in. I went most Saturdays after work before going in the snooker place over Dundas Arcade. I distinctly recall watching a lass coming out of The Old Mint and gyrating herself on one of the old Victorian bollards outside. I remember a place called The Waffle Iron under the flyover nearby too. Dutch pancakes and the like.

There we go! Put that to bed!

 

[Alexander Supertramp]

The problem with all that area is elephant in the room which is the abomination known as the fly over. I would be reluctant to see any significant investment in that area until that was removed. Who on earth is going to want to sit on those seats with all the pollution from the fly over around. It would be interesting to see if the council even considered air quality before spending on that new seating area

“Removed” ffs

 

[boroPE]

There we go! Put that to bed!

I thought Fresco became Malones but my memory is not what it was.

 

[ThatFragranceGuy]

I thought Fresco became Malones but my memory is not what it was.

There is 3 years between the streetview pics in 2009 showing bar fresco livery and 2012 which shows ancient looking malones livery with the fresco signage taken down. Malones would have to have opened up, **** down almost immediately and rotted for that 3 years for it to look like that imo. News articles also refer to it as bar fresco building, not malones pizzeria building, which suggests that's what it most recently was and with the poster above saying it was a sit in place, I'd fully remember that if it was post 2000 but 80s/90s I'd have had no interest so the timelines match up

If you look closely at the malones signs you can see stuff has been stuck on the top of it which is probably the black bar fresco signs

 

[boroPE]

There is 3 years between the streetview pics in 2009 showing bar fresco livery and 2012 which shows ancient looking malones livery with the fresco signage taken down. Malones would have to have opened up, **** down almost immediately and rotted for that 3 years for it to look like that imo. News articles also refer to it as bar fresco building, not malones pizzeria building, which suggests that's what it most recently was and with the poster above saying it was a sit in place, I'd fully remember that if it was post 2000 but 80s/90s I'd have had no interest so the timelines match up

If you look closely at the malones signs you can see stuff has been stuck on the top of it which is probably the black bar fresco signs

I went in both but cant remember which way round. Malones did move to a smaller shop on Wilson street though so would make sense Fresco was after.

Edit: Just looked on google maps Pizza shop sign above nightclub doors so makes sense.

 

[Joy_Division_Oven_Gloves]

The flyover is an eye saw. Would be amazing if they could replace that section of the 66 with a a tunnel

 

[The Ruthsayer]

The flyover is an eye saw. Would be amazing if they could replace that section of the 66 with a a tunnel

I’m afraid you’d need to live in the south east for that scale of investment.

 

[BlindBoyGrunt]

I’m afraid you’d need to live in the south east for that scale of investment.

The best we could hope for would be for the A66 to be rerouted to its original plan, which was through Riverside Park industrial estate, and the A66 flyover becoming a tramway/garden bridge as part of a new improved integrated Teesside transport infrastructure.

 

[Willow]

Just learned Royal Exchange has shut down . Seriously, moved away 2000 and never been out in boro since. Definitely remember Malones under flyover so must have been late 90s. It was huge for a pizza shop, not surprised they moved somewhere smaller.

 

[ThatFragranceGuy]

Just learned Royal Exchange has shut down . Seriously, moved away 2000 and never been out in boro since. Definitely remember Malones under flyover so must have been late 90s. It was huge for a pizza shop, not surprised they moved somewhere smaller.

thanks for confirming, surprised no photos of it online that I can see

 

[fmttmadmin]

I have just been to a meeting this morning with Heritage High Street Action Zone and work is pushing ahead with the railway station and former Kalinka Bar. Kalinka Bar will be renovated and have retail downstairs and office upstairs. Work starts very soon.
Railway Station - work in several phases but right now the contractors are rebuilding under the station and entrance way. The scaffolding is to support the exterior of the old Cornerhouse - this is being retained with window frames in wine bottle green - a link back to Winterschladen's wine cellars once based here. The old Cornerhouse has already been taken as offices - it will all be modern inside.
The tunnel from Bridge Street will continue under the station to a brand new entrance on Zetland Road, with sliding glass doors. The stairway inside the booking hall is being moved but the line of the old stairs will be marked by green tiles on the side walls.
The forecourt will no longer be a car park but pedestrians only.
The plans looked great. There are further phases being worked on to increase the capacity of the stadium both for London trains and Newcastle trains - they are talking about doubling the Newcastle frequency. Part of this is a brand new platform three at the rear of the station.
Great that things are finally happening at the station and all around it.