Basic Site Details

Name: Glasgow Public Halls
City or county: Glasgow
Country: Scotland
Parish:  
Status: A Listed
Grid ref:
Notes: See also separate entry for the original Mitchell Library, adjoining.

Cost: £80,000. Sculptors: John and William Mossman. Bought by the Corporation of the City of Glasgow, 1889. Cost of work c.1910 (additions, alterations and remodelling, and organ case): £23,000. Organ case of Austrian oak, 75 feet long by 40 feet high, and one of the largest in Europe. Burnt 2 November 1962 and site absorbed into Mitchell Library.

Alternative Names

The following alternative names are associated with this building/design:
 NameCurrent name?Notes
Item 1 of 4Mitchell Library and TheatreYes 
Item 2 of 4Mitchell Theatre and LibraryYes 
Item 3 of 4St Andrew's Halls  
Item 4 of 4St Andrews Halls  

Building Type Classification

The building is classified under the following categories:
 ClassificationOriginal classification?Notes
Item 1 of 1Hall  

Street Addresses

The following street addresses are associated with this building:
 AddressMain entrance?Notes
Item 1 of 4Berkeley StreetYes 
Item 2 of 4Granville StreetYes 
Item 3 of 4Kent RoadYes 
Item 4 of 4North StreetYes 

Events

The following date-based events are associated with this building:
 FromToEvent typeNotes
Item 1 of 81873  Original Cunningham design - before job taken over by Campbell Douglas
Item 2 of 822 May 1875 Foundation stone 
Item 3 of 813 November 1877 Opened 
Item 4 of 8After 1901Before 1910 Additions; alterations and remodelling of Grand Hall; new Austrian oak organ case
Item 5 of 82 November 1962  Gutted by fire
Item 6 of 8October 1969 * Scheme acceptedApproval given for extension scheme
Item 7 of 8June 19721980Build/constructionReconstructed. Mitchell library extended and halls restored.
Item 8 of 83 November 1982 * OpenedExtension formally opened by HRH Princess Alice. Mitchell now largest public reference library in Europe.

* earliest date known from documented sources.

People

Design and Construction

The following individuals or organisations have carried out design/construction work. Where architects or practices worked together, matching letters appear beside their names in the Partnership Group column.
 NameRolePartnership GroupFromToNotes
Item 1 of 12Campbell Douglas A18721877Cunningham of Liverpool took the design to sketch-plan stage; the degree to which his scheme influenced the final design is not known, but Campbell Douglas was his 'associate' from the beginning
Item 2 of 12Campbell Douglas & Sellars A18721877Cunningham of Liverpool took the design to sketch-plan stage; the degree to which his scheme influenced the final design is not known, but Campbell Douglas was his 'associate' from the beginning
Item 3 of 12James Sellars A18721877Cunningham of Liverpool took the design to sketch-plan stage; the degree to which his scheme influenced the final design is not known, but Campbell Douglas was his 'associate' from the beginning
Item 4 of 12John Cunningham C1873 Original design - before job taken over by Campbell Douglas
Item 5 of 12William Leiper  1898 Redecoration
Item 6 of 12Alexander Beith McDonald Bc. 1910 Organ case
Item 7 of 12Glasgow Office of Public Works Architectural Department (later Glasgow Corporation City Engineer's Department) Bc. 1910 Additions; alterations and remodelling of Grand Hall; new Austrian oak organ case
Item 8 of 12John Alfred Taylor Houston Bc. 1910 Additions; alterations and remodelling of Grand Hall; new Austrian oak organ case
Item 9 of 12(Sir) Frank Mears & Partners H19661980Reconstructed. Mitchell library extended and halls restored. Appointed in 1966 to prepare plans for extension, working with librarians.
Item 10 of 12Horace Arthur Rendel Govan H19661980Reconstructed. Mitchell library extended and halls restored. Partner in charge.
Item 11 of 12Robert James Naismith H19661980Reconstructed. Mitchell library extended and halls restored. Only minor role - Rendel Govan in charge.
Item 12 of 12Hugh William Jack Crawford H19691980Reconstructed. Mitchell library extended and halls restored

Clients

The following individuals or organisations have commissioned work on this building/design:
 NameNotes
Item 1 of 1Glasgow Public Halls Company 

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this building:
 Author(s)DateTitlePartPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 8Allison, William A G1978The Mitchell Library, Glasgow: The Old and the New Glasgow District Libraries 
Item 2 of 8Glasgow District Libraries1982The Mitchell Library   
Item 3 of 8Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts1875   617 ('the late John Cunningham' - posthumous exhibit) and Campbell Douglas & Sellars)
Item 4 of 8Glendinning, M, MacInnes, R and MacKechnie, A1996A History of Scottish Architecture  p583
Item 5 of 8McKenzie, Ray2002Public sculpture of Glasgow (Public sculpture of Great Britain series) Liverpool University Press 
Item 6 of 8RIBA1970RIBA Directory 1970   
Item 7 of 8RIBA1975RIBA Directory of practices   
Item 8 of 8Williamson, Riches, Higgs1990Glasgow (The Buildings of Scotland)  p279

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this building:
 Periodical NameDateEditionPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 7Architects Journal3 January 1912  Organ case
Item 2 of 7British Architect2 January 1880   
Item 3 of 7Builder22 May 1875XXXIII  
Item 4 of 7Builder1 December 1877XXXV  
Item 5 of 7Builders Journal12 January 1898  Leiper work
Item 6 of 7Building News8 December 1876   
Item 7 of 7RIBA Journal1910v17London: Royal Institute of British ArchitectsObituary

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this building:
 SourceArchive nameSource catalogue no.Notes
Item 1 of 3Courtesy of Margery DobsonInformation via 'Contact Us' on website Sent May 2012
Item 2 of 3Historic Environment ScotlandListed Buildings Register33036 
Item 3 of 3RIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert MuseumRIBA Nomination Papers John Alfred Taylor Houston: L v2 no155 (microfilm reel 29) & F no1794 (microfilm reel 14)