Architechture The Beresford

 

THE BERESFORD

On a recent visit to Glasgow this building caught my eye. It’s a very striking, recently renovated, Art Deco Building which stands proudly on a junction of Sauchiehall Street (famous for the Rennie Mackintosh tea house,’The Willow tea Rooms’).





Sauchiehall Street is one of Glasgows most famous streets, it’s right in the heart of the city and links the city centre with the older more bohemian West End.
It is a brilliant area to live, residents can usually walk anywhere within the city or use the network of underground trains.
The Beresford is now full of brand new apartments,  it’s a high quality conversion of one of Glasgows most impressive Art Deco buildings.
The building was originally built as ‘The Beresford Hotel’ in 1938, it’s ten storeys high,  was the tallest building erected in Glasgow between the wars and was described as Glasgows first skyscraper.
The hotel was first used for visitors to the Empire Exhibition, and then became a favourite
Stop over for American servicemen during the Second World War.

BERESFORD HOTEL / BAIRD HALL
Sauchihall Street / Garnet Street
Weddell & Inglis 1937-38

The Beresford Hotel is seen here not long after its opening in 1938. The Art Deco curved towers of the facade reflect the design found in many of Glasgow's cinemas of the 1930s.
The architect, William Beresford Inglis of Weddell & Inglis, was also the hotel's owner and managing director. After the war demand for hotel accommodation dropped off and for a while the building was used as an office block. The University of Strathclyde acquired it for student accommodation in 1964 and they renamed it Baird Hall.
In 2003 it was sold on from the university and work began on its re-conversion into private apartments.

Reference: Glasgow City Archives, D-CA 8/2962 Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Libraries Information and Learning.

These images are from Glasgow when The Beresford Building was built, it just makes you realise what a remarkable building it must have been at the time.

 

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Apr 25, '10 satshanti said I also love the lettering from the Thirties glad you like it, you did well to find this, its over a year old :-)

delete reply satshanti wrote on Apr 25, '10 I also love the lettering from the Thirties and imagine the Beresford name over the door was unique and stylish...

delete reply acousticeagle wrote on Mar 14, '09, edited on Mar 14, '09 Art Deco style is so intriguing in all the art forms. There are quite a number of famous land-mark buildings in Melbourne, Victoria with the rounded features and soaring symmetry within the art deco style. They are works of art in themselves.

delete reply brendainmad wrote on Mar 14, '09 Thanks for this bit of culture. I really enjoyed the video. BTW, at my university there's a Baird Hall.

delete reply joanna47 wrote on Mar 14, '09 What a terrific blog. Thank you for this. I love history and architecture and that music.

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Mar 14, '09 dianahopeless said I got lost in the music on more than one occasion, and had to re-watch it. LOL Thanks Diana, the music is the proclaimers and if you like it there is more here http://forgetmenot525.multiply.com/journal/item/271/Song_saturday_The_Prolaimers

delete reply blondino01ontal9 wrote on Mar 14, '09 Beautiful blog Loretta .

delete reply dianahopeless wrote on Mar 14, '09 I love the restored look and the bold use of red on the building. While watching the video (which was great) I got lost in the music on more than one occasion, and had to re-watch it. LOL

delete reply starfishred wrote on Mar 14, '09 Would love to see the inside-I love Art Deco period- we had a lot of art deco in Basel then about 15yrs. ago they decided to tear a bunch down luckily people got together and we were able to save some 25 wonderful buildings but sadly about 10 were destroyed

delete reply veryfrank wrote on Mar 13, '09 What a great building and how wonderful to preserve it. I am quite fond of things Art Deco and am always pleased to see that the buildings are renovated and in use. Southern California and Florida have a lot of similar buildings.

delete reply bennett1 wrote on Mar 13, '09 What a marvelous building! Very daring and striking.