Basic Site Details

Building Type Classification

The building is classified under the following categories:
	Classification	Original classification?	Notes
	Housing scheme

Street Addresses

The following street addresses are associated with this building:
	Address	Main entrance?	Notes
	Queen Elizabeth Square

Events

The following date-based events are associated with this building:
	From	To	Event type	Notes
	February 1958		Plans prepared, construction not yet begun	'Glasgow Corporation has received approval for the draft plans for 150 houses in the Gorbals redevelopment area.' per Builder 21 Feb 1958 p378
	5 September 1958		Proposed	'staggered 20-storey block containing 400 dwellings' with small garden or patio for almost every house...'In addition, the whole of the underside of the block is planned to be covered play space' per Builder p380
	5 September 1958		Proposed	the staggered 20-storey block...creates a spine for the Redevelopment Scheme. It 'will contain the following accomodation: 60 one-room flats, 180 three-room, three-person maisonettes, 120 three-room, four-person maisonettes, and 40 four-room, five-person maisonettes...a total of 1,380 inhabitants.' 'The houses, which are of the cross-over maisonette type, will all have...access from kitchens to gardens.' 'Access will be from three main staircase towers, each containing two lifts. [two main staircase towers...[in] the big block and one...[in] the small block...At the base of the block [shops, offices, public houses, restaurants, a post office and police station, an existing church and possibly a cinema or assemply hall, with some provision for light industry, clinics and car parking are] proposed.' per Builder pp382-383
	19 February 1960		Proposed	multi-storey flats at Hutchesontown building areas B and C per Builder p388
	1 April 1960		Scheme accepted	and work to begin in the summer per Builder p675
	27 May 1960		Build/construction	£58,219 contract for piling work awarded to Robert M Douglas, contractors, Birmingham; £41,622 contract for lifts to Glasgow Engineers Ltd per Builder p1030
	19 August 1960		Proposed	corporation agreed to list of tenderers: Gilbert-Ash Ltd.; Holland & Hannen and Cubitts (Scotland) Ltd.; John Liang and Son Ltd.; Leslie and Co. Ltd.; Melville, Dundas and Whitson Ltd.; Tersons Ltd.; the Taylor-Woodrow Group; Trollope and Colls Ltd. per Builder p348
	19 May 1961		Build/construction	Holland & Hannen and Cubitts (Scotland) Ltd have begun work on the £1 1/4m redevelopment project with 400 maisonettes of 8 different types in ten 20-storey blocks, each 195 ft high and designed by Spence per Builder p977
	1988	1989	Alteration/conversion	Post-modern pitched roof and brick and entrance porches added
	September 1993 *		Destruction/demolition

* 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.
	Name	Role	Partnership Group	From	To	Notes
	Michael Blee			1950s
	Basil Spence & Partners		A	1958	1964
	Charles Robertson		A	1958	1962	job architect for Basil Spence & Partners
	(Sir) Basil Urwin Spence		A/B	1958	1965
	Andrew Renton		A/B	1958	1965
	John Hardie Glover		A/B	1958	1965
	Peter Scott Ferguson		A/B	1958	1965
	Alexander John Dawson		A	1960s		working for Basil Spence & Partners on service industries buildings in the development
	Glasgow Corporation Housing Department (later Architectural & Planning Department, Glasgow Corporation)			28 March 1960		accepting tender applications by 28 March per Builder 25 Mar 1960 p626
	Sir Basil Spence, Glover & Ferguson		B	1964	1965	latter stages of project (begun under Basil Spence & Partners)
	Glasgow District Council, Department of Architecture and Related Services (or Department of Civic Architecture & Design)			1988	1989	Post-modern pitched roof and brick and entrance porches added

Related Buildings, Structures and Designs

Parent Structure and Site

This structure is related to the following parent structure or site (click the item to view details):
	Building name	Notes
	Hutchesontown / Gorbals Redevelopment	Prototype and showpiece for city's post-war Modernist phase of reconstruction

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this building:
	Author(s)	Date	Title	Part	Publisher	Notes
	Glendinning, Miles	1997	Rebuilding Scotland: The Postwar Vision, 1945-75		Tuckwell Press Ltd	pXI A 1958 Sketch Perspective of proposed blocks pp20, 39, 92-4, 98-102, 144-7, 175
	Glendinning, Miles	2008	Modern architect: the life and times of Robert Matthew		RIBA Publishing	p247
	Glendinning, Miles and Muthesius, Stefan	1994	Tower Block: Modern Public Housing in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland		Yale University Press: New Haven and London	p170, p224, 327, 368
	Williamson, Riches, Higgs	1990	Glasgow (The Buildings of Scotland)			p518

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this building:
	Periodical Name	Date	Edition	Publisher	Notes
	Architect and Building News	10 September 1958			p350 - 'Gorbals scheme for Glasgow' (illustrated with models and plans)
	Architects Journal	4 September 1958			pp326-333
	Architectural Review	November 1967			Nicholas Taylor's largely negative piece on Hutchesontown C scheme
	Builder	21 February 1958			p378
	Builder	5 September 1958			'Living at High Density' p380
	Builder	5 September 1958			'Hutchesontown/Gorbals Redevelopment 3' pp382-383; images, including two views of the model, typical elevations and sections and a site plan
	Builder	19 February 1960			'High Buildings' Prof. R. H. Matthew's Paper at the RICS pp371-373; includes typical elevations and sections. Multi-storey flats at Hutchesontown building areas B and C per Builder p388
	Builder	25 March 1960			p626
	Builder	1 April 1960			'Gorbals Redevelopment' p675
	Builder	27 May 1960			£58,219 contract for piling work awarded to Robert M Douglas, contractors, Birmingham; £41,622 contract for lifts to Glasgow Engineers Ltd per Builder p1030
	Builder	19 August 1960			p348
	Builder	19 May 1961			p977
	Builder	7 July 1961			p32
	Herald, The	April 1993			'The brush-off for Sir Basil' - piece on Docomomo's concern that modernist heritage, including Spence's Hutchesontown C scheme, is being destroyed
	Herald, The	23 March 2001			p14 - 'Family sues over Gorbals blast' (re. death of spectator at demolition, struck by debris)
	Housing Review	November 1958	7:6		Illustrated feature
	Scotsman	8 July 1991			'Raised in the Gorbals' - piece by Brian Edwards calling for listing of Spence's Hutchesontown C scheme [NB. seems to be in Scotsman... may not be, source is illegible (although date is correct)]
	Scotsman	19 April 1993			p9 - letter from Paul Stirton, headlined 'Noble structures', bemoaning demolition of Hutchesontown 'C' and promoting role of DoCoMoMo
	Scotsman	20 April 1993			p9 - two articles outlining significance of Hutchesontown 'C' scheme, public reception, and impending demolition
	The Independent	8 September 1993			p13 - 'High noon for a high-rise ideal' (published only days before demoliton)
	The Independent	1 April 1998			'Eye' supplement includes photograph of Spence's Hutchesontown C under construction, as part of 'The century in photographs' series

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this building:
	Source	Archive name	Source catalogue no.	Notes
	RIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert Museum	RIBA Nomination Papers		Peter Scott Ferguson: F no5472 (combined box 80)
	Sent to DSA by email	Information from AHRC/RCAHMS Spence project per David W Walker and Clive Fenton		Clive Fenton's research notes (sent July 2010): information on Alex Dawson's and Charles Robertson's involvement.
	Strathclyde Regional Archives	Glasgow Dean of Guild	1961/440