The Co-op Building...

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The Co-op Building...

Postby BenCooper » Fri May 29, 2009 7:31 pm

This was an impromptu visit, but it's a bit of a Glasgow landmark so I thought it might be of interest...

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Built in 1876, the amusingly-named Gusset Building was built as a warehouse for the Scottish Co-operative Wholesale Society, the first purpose-built warehouse of it's type in Scotland. The SCWS quickly outgrew the space, though, so it was converted to offices for various Co-operative Society operations, including the in-house magazine and later the ground floor was used for funerals. The building is now empty, and is up for sale with plans to convert to 75 flats, but current economic climate, blah blah blah...

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Re: The Co-op Building...

Postby Quality Mince » Fri May 29, 2009 7:48 pm

I can’t believe that such an impressive building in a prime location has not been snapped up by a developer. It’s always such a great shame to such wonderful Glasgow architecture going this way.
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Re: The Co-op Building...

Postby Delmont St Xavier » Fri May 29, 2009 8:39 pm

Memories of winding that bloody clock on a Friday afternoon!

It looks like the old service room in one of the pictures but can't be certain. The whole of the ground floor was used for Funeral Services. The point of the gusset (as we look on to the picture) was where the management offices were (middle management) and the next floor up was where the senior management resided.

The place would have to be gutted right back to the bare brick - and down to the foundations to cure some of the problems....
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Re: The Co-op Building...

Postby Mori » Fri May 29, 2009 11:17 pm

Image from Future Glasgow.

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Re: The Co-op Building...

Postby BenCooper » Sat May 30, 2009 6:54 am

The last picture was from the service rooms on the ground floor - I thought it was an amusingly creepy sign. The rooms themselves have been gutted, like the rest of the place.

That artist's impression is horrible - what's with the fad for taking a perfectly good building and landing an alien spaceship on the roof?
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Re: The Co-op Building...

Postby rabmania » Sun May 31, 2009 9:40 pm

BenCooper wrote:The last picture was from the service rooms on the ground floor - I thought it was an amusingly creepy sign. The rooms themselves have been gutted, like the rest of the place.

That artist's impression is horrible - what's with the fad for taking a perfectly good building and landing an alien spaceship on the roof?


Better that than disuse/demolition/waiting for the inevitable fire, but I hate the alien roof thing too.
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Re: The Co-op Building...

Postby Josef » Sun May 31, 2009 9:48 pm

The painting it white annoys me more than the spaceship. There are a few decent-looking versions of that around town, like the building above the Atholl Arms in Renfrew Street for example.

Delmont St Xavier wrote:The place would have to be gutted right back to the bare brick - and down to the foundations to cure some of the problems....


You have my curiosity piqued now, Delmont. Are you able to be specific?
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Re: The Co-op Building...

Postby fatweegee » Fri Jul 03, 2009 10:36 pm

My Dad worked in the Funerals Department ther in the '90's. Was only ever in it once though. Can anyone remember the main CWS building across the road being a Hyper-Market?
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Re: The Co-op Building...

Postby Josef » Fri Jul 03, 2009 11:10 pm

The Sottish Screen Archive have a record of a short film of the opening by STV.

I don't know if you can get any of their (STV's) archive online?
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Re: The Co-op Building...

Postby Mori » Sat Jul 04, 2009 1:17 am

fatweegee wrote:My Dad worked in the Funerals Department ther in the '90's. Was only ever in it once though. Can anyone remember the main CWS building across the road being a Hyper-Market?


The original supermarket before Asda and Tesco were ever heard of.

Yep the shoplifters paradise was closed down not long after it opend because of the theft losses not only by the public but by their own staff.
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Re: The Co-op Building...

Postby mrlipring » Sat Jul 04, 2009 10:23 am

Strike knob, hold upright. Not sure if that sounds fun or not.
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Re: The Co-op Building...

Postby the researcher » Sat Jan 29, 2011 8:51 pm

my granparents funerals were at the coop funeral parlour opposite the morrison street building and seem to remember it was to the left of the one in the top picture
this was in 76 and 78 respectively unless of course they moved to the other building
you can see the roof of the funeral parlour when on the kingston bridge if you look down to your left as you go over it travelling away from the city centre
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Re: The Co-op Building...

Postby thelonerover » Mon Nov 28, 2011 3:22 pm

rabmania wrote:Better that than disuse/demolition/waiting for the inevitable fire, but I hate the alien roof thing too.


The inevitable is seems to have happened. Just passed on the bus and it's well ablaze :(
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Re: The Co-op Building...

Postby JayKay » Mon Nov 28, 2011 4:07 pm

*value of posts can go down as well as up.
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Re: The Co-op Building...

Postby thelonerover » Mon Nov 28, 2011 5:58 pm

Another sad ending for a historic building.

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