Missing, Wellington Street - demolition

[lightbody]

The building next to my office started to fall down on Friday at 5pm... apparently the police lifted nearby cars and then efforts were made to shore up the building.

Its on the corner of Wellington Street and Holm Street and used to have Missing Records in it.

Its been completely neglected for ages - the rear of my office looks into it (from the 4th floor) - I'll try to take some pics on Monday if its still there and before it disappears for good!

[crusty_bint]

You're kidding, terrible terrble news!

[Fossil]

The old what every woman wants [mens department building] I think

FOssil

[Flyingscot]

I'll tell you another negleted building is the house on the corner of Edminston Drive/Shieldhall Road and Craigton Drive at the traffic lights. Abandoned and ravished by fire, but still a beautiful sandstone property.

[crusty_bint]

I know the one you mean Flyingscot, sad little thing. The structure looks sound enough although I doub't it will last another 2 winters.

I actually prepared an external fabric condition survey of 11 Wellington St last year, just reading back on it, it was apparent even then that falling masonry posed a serious threat, in particular a large bulge on Holm St where I think a chimney stack had been dismantled. Did you see what parts/where the structure was falling apart Lightbody?

I wonder why the large-scale survey theCouncil completed last year never picked up/acted on it? ...I wonder...

[crusty_bint]

Had a wee look today and it looks as though there's been an internal collapse which has led to the falling masonry





It also looks as though they may be trying to salvage something from it:




Soon to be...

[lightbody]

I took similar photos so i'll not bother repeating. The view from the 4th floor of the adjacent building where i work hasn't turned out to be very interesting!

Apparently they're working on the demolition 24hrs a day and it will be gone by Friday latest...

[escotregen]

Well this old lady has distinctly Thompson Grecian features, so it so I suppose it was another such building bound to fall prey to Glasgow's neglect of this heritage... I know this weekend was really only an English Bank Holiday, but it's becoming a black farce about how almost every such holiday time we seem to have another 'urgent' demolition of an old (listed?) building in Glasgow 'needed'?

[lightbody]

[Vladimir]

This is a disaster Maybe they could reconstruct it using the intact stone pieces and replace those ones which were damaged. Otherwise were getting another crap monstrosity on another corner...

[crusty_bint]

To be honest, Im not surprised this has happened as the majority of the building has lain derelict for some time now. I think it may also have suffered fire and subsequent water damage a few years back too. It really is a sorry affair though, but something seems diffeent this time, perhaps lessons were learnt after the Elgin Place Memorial Church saga? Time will tell.

Here's the property details for those intersted, couldnt find the architect though:

Subject Address: 9, 11 Wellington Street, 119 Holm St
Listing Category: B
Date of Listing: 21 August 1988
Ward: 18
Map Ref: NS 5856 6521
Date and Purpose: C. 1875 Warehouse & Sales Office
Other uses:
What Every One/Man/Kid Wants
Department Store c.1980
Missing Record Store Feb.1998
Last occupied: May 2000

[Sir Roger DeLodgerley]

I was discussing this building with a commercial property agent about three months ago. He reported that the owner had applied more than once to have it demolished and replaced with, yup you've guessed it, luxury flats. The council had apparently refused permission.

Since it was originally intended for offices the owner chose to tout it to the office market but at a ridiculously high rent so that no company would go near it, whilst at the same time failing to maintain it so that one of two events would come to pass; either the building would fall down or the council would finally be persuaded that it could not be used for offices and grant the permission he was seeking. Either way the building was doomed.

Looks like the former option happened first.

[Vinny the Mackem]

Just the same old shite. Anyone any connection with any journalist who feels like providing the "unusual" history of so may decent buildings, or at worst the wonderful facades, that seem to fall down?

Problem is, with the exception of a few internet combined nutters, does anyone on the outside give a flying nun's crusty gusset???

Sorry, I'm a bit pished!

[gap74]

Nodrog and I assisted the Cinema Theatre Association in putting out a press release on this very subject the other week, either the council not serving repairs notices on crumbling buildings, or Historic Scotland allowing them to be partially or wholly demolished on the flimsiest excuses. This was picked up by a journalist contact we have at the Evening Times, and he ran a story about it in the Weekend Times on Saturday just gone.

Naturally, it relates to cinemas, but could equally well have been in relation to any listed or historically interesting building in the city...

The press release is here:

http://www.hiddenglasgow.com/forums/vie ... php?t=2718

The Weekend Times article is here, since they don't put weekend stuff online (I think!) - was interesting to hear Historic Scotland's response - the examples of well re-used cinemas they mentioned included two (Gong and ABC) whose original interior was hidden or gutted for re-use. And we weren't asking for them to be re-used as cinemas, just for owners to maintain the fabric of these places during disuse (or be forced to do so by local authorities), and for re-use plans to be something more imaginative than flats behind a retained facade...

ANGER AT 'NEGLECT' OF HISTORIC CITY CINEMAS

by Graeme Murray ([email protected])

Group claims not enough was done to protect buildings

Historic Scotland has been condemned by a cinema preservation group which claims it has failed to prevent the wholesale demolition of ancient Glasgow cinemas.

The Cinema Theatre Association has compiled a catalogue which lists four B-listed Glasgow cinemas it claims the national body has neglected.

The Toledo in Clarkston, The Kingsway in Cathcart, The Ascot in Anniesland and the Olympia in Bridgeton have been singled out.

It demanded to know why the heritage organisation has not forced Glasgow City Council to serve repairs notices on cinemas which have been on the Scottish Civic Trust's Buildings at Risk register since 2000.

It says the buildings form an important part of Scotland's architectural and social history which attracts tourists to the city in droves.

Historic Scotland has also been criticised for retaining only the facade of cinemas when granting listed building consent, which the CTA claims has led to the loss of many fine auditoriums.

Richard Grey, chairman of Cinema Theatre Association said: "I am angry with Historic Scotland and its lack of interest in the preservation of historic cinemas and theatres.

"Its failure over the last few years to preserve a significant number of historic cinemas through reuse or sensitive development is evidence of perhaps the worst record of all the national bodies dedicated to the preservation of the historic environment.

"Many of these buildings have important historic and splendid design features which we would like preserved for the enjoyment and understanding of future generations."

The group said the Ascot Cinema, now flats called The Picturehouse, had an unspoilt auditorium which was lost and the facade is now dwarfed by the new development behind it.

It describes Historic Scotland's failure to respond to comment on a planning application for the Toledo Cinema as "a particularly appalling example of negligence."

And it says the Kingsway Cinema "has been left rotting and derelict for over 16 years" prompting developers to try to get it entirely demolished on public safety grounds.

However, Historic Scotland insisted that if it was not convinced by an argument for internal demolition or any other proposal, it would say so.

A spokesman cited the Carling Academy on the south side, Gong in the west end, the Waverley in Shawlands and the ABC in Sauchiehall St as good examples of re-uses.

He said: "We have made considerable efforts to assist local authorities in re-using this valuable part of our national heritage and there have been many successful conversions and re-uses.

"However, neither Historic Scotland nor the local authorities charged with making planning and listed building consent decisions about cinema buildings can require operators to continue showing films commercially.

"The Ascot and the Toledo have both lost their interiors and some of their external fabric but in these cases no viable auditorium use could be found."

Architectural consultant Neil Baxter said: "There are very strong sentimental attachments to cinemas, but we have to accept there are a number of buildings which have changed beyond all recognition.

"I'm passionate about buildings and in an ideal world I would love to keep them all, but there are not the resources to do that.

"The CTA is to an extent stargazing. It wants to protect things nobody has the money to keep."