The Egyptian Halls
Encyclopedia
Egyptian Hall
For the Glasgow building see The Egyptian Halls.The Egyptian Hall in Piccadilly, London, was an Exhibition hall built in the ancient Egyptian style in 1812, to the designs of Peter Frederick Robinson.-History:...
The Egyptian Halls is a category A listed building at 84–100 Union Street, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It was built between 1870–72 and designed by Alexander 'Greek' Thomson. Other than some retailers on the ground floor, the building is currently unoccupied. Despite several attempts at restoration, it remains in a parlous state and is under threat of demolition.
History
Work started on the Egyptian Halls in March 1870 to provide new commercial premises for James Robertson, an iron manufacturer, and was completed in 1872. Built using cast iron and stone, the Egyptian Halls was one of the last major projects of Alexander Thomson. The building broke many of the rules of the time; thick stone columns normally found at ground level were on the top floor. The building is built on four storeys. The ground floor was occupied by shops with fully glazed wide bays. The first floor features eighteen window bays divided by square columns with a flowing scroll capitalCapital (architecture)
In architecture the capital forms the topmost member of a column . It mediates between the column and the load thrusting down upon it, broadening the area of the column's supporting surface...
. On the second floor, shorter couple columns are positioned exactly above the first floor columns, again above these columns is a decorative entablature
Entablature
An entablature refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and are commonly divided into the architrave , the frieze ,...
with a Roman-style decoration. Finally, on the third floor is a plinth with dwarf columns and pseudo-Egyptian lotus flower capitals. Behind these columns is a continuous glazed screen, which is not fixed to these columns. Topping these columns is another entablature with a cornice. This 'attic' room is lit by a series of sloping skylights.
The name of the building seems to be a misnomer as there is very little Egyptian influence in its design. Instead, it is more closely modelled on Greek classical architecture
Classical architecture
Classical architecture is a mode of architecture employing vocabulary derived in part from the Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, enriched by classicizing architectural practice in Europe since the Renaissance...
, in particular the Corinthian order
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
of the Tower of the Winds
Tower of the Winds
The Tower of the Winds, also called horologion , is an octagonal Pentelic marble clocktower on the Roman agora in Athens. The structure features a combination of sundials, a water clock and a wind vane...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, which was Thomson's ideal of design. It is speculated that it takes its title from the earlier Egyptian Hall
Egyptian Hall
For the Glasgow building see The Egyptian Halls.The Egyptian Hall in Piccadilly, London, was an Exhibition hall built in the ancient Egyptian style in 1812, to the designs of Peter Frederick Robinson.-History:...
in Piccadilly
Piccadilly
Piccadilly is a major street in central London, running from Hyde Park Corner in the west to Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is completely within the city of Westminster. The street is part of the A4 road, London's second most important western artery. St...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, which was the precursor for the large multi-purpose commercial premises of Thomson's building. It is also speculated that some of the shops may have been Egyptian-themed. In addition to the shops, the building featured a lecture room, bazaar and a large central hall where displays of paintings and antiquities were staged, including the display of the complete Egyptian tomb of Thebes
Thebes, Egypt
Thebes is the Greek name for a city in Ancient Egypt located about 800 km south of the Mediterranean, on the east bank of the river Nile within the modern city of Luxor. The Theban Necropolis is situated nearby on the west bank of the Nile.-History:...
.
Thomson was very proud of his work. Writing to his brother George, he commented:
"He [the client] is very proud of the building – a writer in The Architect says of it – this is probably the Architect's most successful effort, and we doubt if its equal, for originality, grandeur of treatment or imposing effect, could be found in any City, not excepting the Metropolis itself."
The building has been described as one of the finest in Glasgow and, according to the secretary of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, is the finest surviving example of an Alexander Thomson commercial building and is of international importance. It has been protected as a category A listed building since 1966.
Current status
In common with many other buildings of this era, such as Thomson's Caledonian Road Church and the St Vincent Street Church, it fell into disrepair in the second half of the 20th century. The upper floors were left vacant in the early 1980s and by the early 1990s the building was in such poor condition that the council issued a repair order to a Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
restaurateur who owned part of the upper floors. This did not stop the decay and in 1995 further repairs were undertaken following an 'Urgent Repairs Notice'. In 1996 Glasgow City Council announced a compulsory purchase order
Compulsory purchase order
A compulsory purchase order is a legal function in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland that allows certain bodies which need to obtain land or property to do so without the consent of the owner. It may be enforced if a proposed development is considered one for public betterment - for...
(CPO) on the building. In subsequent years a number of schemes were proposed to restore the building, but legal wrangles with the building's owners, who were contesting the CPO, led to further delays. In July 2000, Dundee businessman Derek Souter and his company Union Street Developments (USD) acquired a stake in the property and announced plans to restore it, but funding problems led to further delays.
In January 2003, Glasgow City Council bought the building just before its CPO was due to expire in the hope that USD would find the funding to complete the restoration. At that time it was estimated that it would cost £3.8 million to repair the building. USD bought the entire building in the summer of 2008, but other than work to prevent further decay little had been done on the building. In June 2010 ambitious new plans to redevelop the building into a 250-bedroom hotel, with hotel group Accor
Accor
Accor is Europe's leading hotel group , part of the CAC 40 index , and operates in over 90 countries. Headquartered in Courcouronnes, Essonne, France, near Évry, France, the group owns, operates and franchises 4,229 hotels ranging from economy to luxury on five continents .Previously, the group...
taking the franchise, were announced. As part of this redevelopment there were plans to build a new rooftop extension and new ground-floor retail units. The cost of this scheme was put at £17 million, with Glasgow City Council asked to contribute £1 million to the conversion. Further wrangling over funding continued, with the owner warning in February 2011 that the building might be demolished if further funds were not committed.