St Andrew's Halls were built by private subscription to meet a perceived need for hall accommodation in the West End. The building opened in 1877 in Granville Street. The architect was James Sellars and a feature of the classical facade was four sculptured groups of figures by John Mossman. As well as the Grand Hall, which initially accommodated 4,500, there were several lesser halls.
The building was not a commercial success and was sold to Glasgow Corporation in 1890. It was used as a venue for a wide range of events including orchestral concerts, political meetings, recitals, operas, boxing matches and organisational gatherings featuring personalities ranging from David Lloyd George to Enrico Caruso.
The halls were gutted by fire in 1962 but the facade, pictured here in a programme for the Mod, was restored and today forms the outer shell of the Mitchell Library and Theatre building.
Reference: Mitchell Library, Theatre Collection
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Libraries Information and Learning
Keywords:
boxing matches, concerts, fires, Glasgow Corporation, halls, Mitchell Library, Mitchell Theatre, Mod, operas, recitals, St Andrew's Halls