Quay Bar was a building situated next to the Bridgewater Canal

Bridgewater Canal

The Bridgewater Canal connects Runcorn, Manchester and Leigh, in North West England. It was commissioned by Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, to transport coal from his mines in Worsley to Manchester...

 basin in Castlefield

Castlefield

Castlefield is an inner city area of Manchester, in North West England. The conservation area which bears its name is bounded by the River Irwell, Quay Street, Deansgate and the Chester Road. It was the site of the Roman era fort of Mamucium or Mancunium which gave its name to Manchester...

, Manchester

Manchester

Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...

. It was designed by architects Stephenson Bell

Roger Stephenson

Roger Stephenson OBE is an acclaimed English architect and one of the partners of Stephenson Bell Architects in Manchester, England.-Background:Stephenson studied architecture at the Liverpool University School of Architecture...

 for their client Wolverhampton & Dudley Brewery (better known as Banks).

Shortly after completion in 1998 the building won a number of awards, including an MSA Design Award, RIBA

Riba

Riba means one of the senses of "usury" . Riba is forbidden in Islamic economic jurisprudence fiqh and considered as a major sin...

 Award and the Manchester Civic Society Award. It was also shortlisted for the prestigious Stirling Prize

Stirling Prize

The Royal Institute of British Architects Stirling Prize is a British prize for excellence in architecture. It is named after the architect James Stirling, organised and awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects...

.

With competing bars and restaurants opening closer to the city centre, particularly the popular Deansgate Locks, Quay Bar faced difficulties in attracting the same crowds it achieved when first opened. Following a spell of dubious management tactics, the bar closed in 2003. It was bought by Urban Splash

Urban Splash

Urban Splash is a British company which regenerates decaying industrial warehouses, mills, Victorian terraced houses and other buildings. These buildings have mainly been converted into housing...

 who rebranded it as the rather short-lived Modo Clubroom, and was subsequently let out on an occasional basis to Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...

ese military themed bar operator Canteena. The building became vacant in 2005, subsequently falling into disrepair. During 2006-07 it became notorious for its use by drug addicts, suffering a number of arson attacks and prompting calls for its demolition.

As of November 2007 the building has been demolished, due to its dilapidation and frequent vandalism.