Excellent set, VT. I particularly like the second one.
Vinegar Tom wrote:Lion Chambers Hope Street
I'm quite fond of Lion Chambers. I'd like to have a look around inside some day.
From
scotcities :
The ubiquitous concrete and steel structures of the present era go back as far as the 19th century in Glasgow.
Orient House in Cowcaddens, which was completed in 1895, is the best preserved Victorian example of the style. It was designed by William J Anderson, who was appointed as Dean of Architecture at Glasgow School of Art in 1894, during the building's construction. This was the time when the innovative ideas of Glasgow architects such as the young Charles Rennie Mackintosh were in their formative stages.
Anderson died in 1900, unaware of how popular his experimental methods of construction would turn out to be in the new century. It has been suggested that a fatal accident in 1899 in one of Anderson's unconventional structures was a contributory factor in his early death at his own hands.
Anderson's experimental construction methods were developed further by one of his former pupils, James Salmon, in the design of Lion Chambers on the east side of Hope Street.
Salmon and his partner, James. G. Gillespie, produced a modernistic building which was perhaps too ambitious for 1907 when it was completed. It was built with lightweight reinforced concrete with a conventional outward appearance which disguises the fact that the non-structural external walls are only 4 inches thick. From the 4th storey upwards the tower stands on its own without the support of the adjoining block. On these upper levels there are very small common landings leading to a narrow staircase, less than 6 feet wide, tagged on to the side of the building.
The structure was fabricated with the patented Hennebique Ferro-Concrete system, which was widely used for civil engineering projects at the time.
In April 1995 the 7 co-owners of the block were refused planning permission for its demolition owing to the historical and architectural novelty of the structure which made it a category "A" listed building. Protective metal mesh was placed around the external shell to hold together the disintegrating concrete.
Lion Chambers is currently unoccupied and will remain so until the money and the collective will is found for refurbishment.
A more likely scenario, given the probable cost of renovation, is that the owners will be granted their wish to pull it down.