Designed by Edmund Aiken in 1815 of the Greek Classical revival school, the Wellington Rooms began life as a gentleman's club and quickly established itself as the hub of fashionable Liverpool. In later years, it became an important gathering place for the Irish community. The Coal Exchange, designed by Edwin Seward in 1883, housed one of the world's great deal-making markets back when Cardiff was a prime commercial centre. Both buildings have fallen on hard times and their fates remain up in the air.