Elgin Place raises questions about care of historic buildings

11 Feb 2005

Elgin Place Congregational Church on Glasgow’s Pitt Street was demolished on Christmas Eve 2004 following a fire in November. The demolition of the building has raised eyebrows among some architects and conservation bodies. Glasgow’s building control department say the building was dangerous. Historic Scotland argue that they did not grant permission to demolish the A-Listed building and they are still waiting for a report on the causes of demolition.

“Our initial report suggested that the church was in fairly good condition. We were involved in discussions with the council and had drawn up a scheme to stabilize and support the building that would cost £400,000. As far as we were aware the council was about to serve notice on the work,” said Historic Scotland.
The fate of the church has sparked a debate about suitable uses for historic buildings and the cost of building’s insurance on old buildings. Elgin Place was opened in 1856, designed in the Greek Revival style by John Burnet. In 1982 the church was completely remodeled as the Cardinal Follies nightclub and ended up hosting the clubs Shack and Trash.

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