1 The Avenue interpretations of Gothic revival in the world. 1 The Avenue 1 The Avenue is a building in Spinningfields, Manchester. It is situated on Deansgate adjacent to the grade-I listed John Rylands Library. The building consists of two mirror-image parallelograms, stacked one on top of the other, resulting in a three-storey cantilever on the east end of the building. The cantilever is supported by an inclined steel ‘diagrid’ structure. Reaction to the glass clad building has been mixed due its proximity to the Grade I listed Rylands Library which, along with the Town Hall is considered the finest piece of architecture
University of Manchester Library of the John Rylands Library, enabled the building of a tent-like octagonal hall next to the library, the Muriel Stott Conference Centre (on the building of the extension this was enclosed by the rest of the library). The design of the extension was modified when actually implemented in 1979 so that a link section united it with the three-wing existing library building. This new extension opened in the autumn term of 1981 and at the same time the medical and science (Christie) libraries were vacated so that a more coherent organisation of stock became possible. By the time this building