Glasgow Photo Library
- Lighthouse Building

Lighthouse Building


Created for the Glasgow Herald newspaper between 1893-95 in Mitchell Street, this building was designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, although he was still only an assistant at the firm of Honeyman and Keppie. The solidly designed building has hints of old Scots architecture and few of the elements associated with Mackintosh. The exception, perhaps, is the slim octagonal corner tower with a galleried top. It was this feature which gave the building its nickname of "The Lighthouse".

When the Herald moved to more modern premises the building lay derelict for a number of years. It then became the centre-piece of Glasgow's "Year of Architecture and Design" festival in 1999 and was transformed into a centre for architecture and design at a cost of £13 million. Due to concern about stone cleaning, the exterior did not look much different from before the renovation, with the grime of the last 100 years still there. Internally, there are exhibitions on Mackintosh and another Glasgow architect, Alexander "Greek" Thomson.

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