THE ICONIC flatiron-shaped building in Belfast, home to Bittles Bar has been sold.
Co Down property investment and development firm Wirefox, owned by BJ Eastwood, has further extended its Belfast portfolio with the acquisition of the five-storey site, with refurbishment plans to get underway within weeks.
The Holywood firm has a catalogue of retail and office assets across the north.
Bittles Bar, located in Victoria Street, will remain in its current form, but the new office space created will be placed on the market to let.
Red-bricked and 'flat-iron' in shape, Bittles was originally called the Shakespeare due to its theatrical clientele and is one of the city's more curious pubs, located close to the Victoria Square shopping centre.
The Victorian pub, founded in 1868, is famed for its extensive whiskey collection and electric range of artwork, which features portraits of Irish literary and sporting heroes including; Samuel Beckett, W.B Yeats and George Best.
Director of developments at Wirefox Joanne McBurney said the landmark site offered "tremendous potential" for development.
“The purchase of this truly iconic building is the latest example of Wirefox’s burgeoning suite of Belfast city centre assets," she said.
“This is one of the most eye-catching buildings in Belfast, similar in shape to the Flatiron Building in New York. There is significant commercial property activity in the area and the vacant units on each floor offer tremendous potential for development.
“The demand for more city centre office space still continues to outstrip supply, and we are confident there will be a lot of interest in the building," she added.
Savills acted for Wirefox in the acquisition of the building.
As well as the Belfast city centre purchases of Oxford and Gloucester House and Longbridge House, Wirefox also recently acquired the Southergate Centre, a major retail-led asset in Dumfries town centre.
In recent weeks it has been reported the company is in line to buy the CastleCourt shopping centre in Belfast for £125m
