A Tall Tale

Well done to New York-based Stephen Holl Architects who recently won an international competition to design a new building for the Glasgow School of Art.

Coincidentally, the Art School’s main building was also the result of an architectural competition back in the 1890s, which was won by a then unknown Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

But my favourite competition construction in Glasgow is the Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery, whose winning design was created by a London firm of architects, also at the tail end of the 19 th century.

However, the urban myth that exists in Glasgow about this building’s history is probably better known than the actual reality. 

The widely held belief is that, following the competition, the gallery was actually built back-to-front, and the distraught architect subsequently committed suicide by throwing himself from one of its two tallest towers.

A quick look in the FAQ section on Kelvingrove’s official website has confirmed that this story is, indeed, just a rumour.

Having grown up with this tale - Glasgow’s my home city - I’m actually quite disappointed to know the truth (although happy for the architect in question, clearly.)  Is that wrong of me?

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