One St Peter's Square is a high-rise office building in Manchester, England. It is situated in St Peter's Square in the city centre. Elisabeth House The previous building on the site was Elisabeth House, an office block constructed of concrete and built in 1960, and which had weathered badly. It was originally meant to be clad in stone to keep with its context but for financial reasons the exposed concrete was not clad. It used to house the Dutch Pancake House, which opened in the 1970s and closed in the early 2000s. Demolition of Elisabeth House began in late 2011 and the building was fully removed by April 2012. Office building Construction of a new office building was first proposed in 2009, and was granted planning permission in 2010. The scheme was approved in July 2011, and a 25% pre-let of the building by professional services firm KPMG enabled construction to begin. One St Peter's Square consists of of Grade A office space. In 2011, the Greater Manchester Property Venture Fund (GMPVF), part of the Greater Manchester Pension Fund, invested £10 million in the development. Construction began in May 2012 and was due to be completed in early 2014 to coincide with completion of the Central Library and Town Hall redevelopment. It then underwent internal fit out and was completed in late 2014. Concern over the building's height surfaced during the construction of the core. One local observer said the building "is at least four storeys too tall on the site and the lift core alone makes the neighbours cower". The building fronts onto Midland Hotel, Central Library and the Town Hall Extension – all Grade II* listed buildings. The columns supporting the building are on the outside, thus avoiding unwelcome columns in the office space. The exterior columns are clad in limestone rather than concrete. The choice of limestone was exacerbated by the need to remain in context with listed buildings in the vicinity and the desire to avoid weathering which is often seen in concrete. A three-storey glazed balcony tops the building and features a curved, overhanging roof complete with spotlights. Situated in Manchester's historic district, the building needed to meet strict conservation area rules. One St Peter's Square was designed in a simple, modern classical style with high quality Jura limestone columns to fit in with the Central Library opposite. A sweeping top floor balcony perches out