not much gentrification going on here

Had a walk this morning past the old Fire Brigade Headquarters on Whitworth Street, Manchester.
I like the way the light hits it in the morning (if the sun is actually shining). For several years there have been stories about this building, which is right opposite Piccadilly Rail Station, being turned into a huge hotel. But, like a lot of building stock in Manchester, the owners are sitting on it. Apparently the firemen used to clean the exterior once a year, scrubbing away at it, presumably, on their rescue ladders.