Symphony is in harmony with modern living

Mar 1 2007 by Debbie Johnson, Liverpool Daily Post

A SPACIOUS communal atrium, high ceilings and historic beams strike all the right chords with residents in the Symphony Building.
 
The apartments were converted from the former Ear and Eye Hospital, on Myrtle Street, which was built in the 1870s.
 
One of the original ward corridor arches is still visible within the home of Ian and Minako Jackson, who live on the fourth floor of the building in a two-bedroomed apartment.

Although modernised to a high specification, the Symphony - close, as you might imagine, to the Philharmonic Hall, on Hope Street - still retains some of its older character, such as the high ceilings and a sense of space.
 
"I bought it off-plan in 2004," says Ian. "After looking at a few city centre apartments, this one really appealed to me. I am originally from Newsham Park, but went to the Liverpool Institute - quite a few years after Paul McCartney! - and always liked this area."
 
Ian's wife, Minako, is originally from Japan, but fell in love with the city after coming here as a student. She, too, always loved the area, and clearly relishes living here.

The couple married in June, after meeting through their mutual love of art.
 
Ian says: "Everywhere I went at galleries, she was there. I think she was stalking me."
 
The couple's current home is, of course, just a stone's throw from the hustle and bustle of the city, the Georgian Quarter, and as many galleries as they could wish for.