Lion Chambers View of crest on West front, first floor. Digital image of A 59681.

Description Lion Chambers View of crest on West front, first floor. Digital image of A 59681.

Date 29/3/1987

Catalogue Number SC 710138

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of A 59681

Scope and Content Armorial panel at first-floor level on west façade of Lion Chambers, Nos 170-2 Hope Street, Glasgow The Lion Chambers were built 1904-7 to designs by architects James Salmon (1873-1924) and John Gaff Gillespie (1870-1926). This eight-storeyed building occupies a site only 10.09m x 14m, its towering height made possible by its innovative use of reinforced concrete walls only 100mm thick, a technique pioneered by structural engineer François Hennebique (1843-1924). The building also includes an electric passenger lift, an early appearance of this innovation, first installed in American sky scrapers in the late 1880s. This shows the cross-shaped armorial panel featuring the name of the building beneath a shield topped by a helmet and lion rampant. Fluttering ribbons fill the arms of the cross and link the sculpture to the side of the bay windows. Narrow windows are set into the thin concrete walls and have moulded frames. This impressive building was commissioned by William G Black, a lawyer and lay member of the Glasgow Art Club. In keeping with his interests, the building housed a basement printing works, ground-floor shop, law chambers and artists' studios in the lofty top-floor rooms. This building has been selected as one of Scotland's key 20th-century Modern architectural monuments. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/710138

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap