Alistair Hardaker | Image: Mackintosh House Studio Drawing Room (HES)
Historic Environment Scotland launches a public consultation on proposals to list the Hunterian Art Gallery and Mackintosh House in Glasgow at Category A.
A public consultation has been launched to list the Hunterian Art Gallery and Mackintosh House in Glasgow at Category A.
Historic Environment Scotland launched the consultation on the building, designed by Sir William Whitfield for the University of Glasgow.
The Brutalist concrete and cement-rendered art gallery was built in the 1970s and opened in 1980-81. It houses the University’s art collection and the partially reassembled interiors from the former home of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh at 78 Southpark Avenue, which was demolished in 1963.
The Hunterian is Scotland’s oldest public museum, first opened in 1807 and relocated to the University’s Gilmorehill campus in 1870.
HES says the Hunterian Art Gallery is a rare example of a purpose-built public gallery and university museum built during the economic downturn of the 1970s.
Dara Parsons, Head of Designations at HES, said the Hunterian Art Gallery and Mackintosh House is “outstanding for its innovative and monumental design, which reflects both Brutalist trends of the 1970s and emerging postmodern ideas and for the association with Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Margaret Macdonald.”
Professor Steph Scholten, director of The Hunterian, welcomed the HES listing proposal.
“The building is a remarkable part of the University of Glasgow campus and an important Scottish cultural landmark,” said Professor Scholten.
“This proposed designation recognises not only the building’s outstanding architectural significance, but also its enduring contribution to Scotland’s cultural life.
Mackintosh and Macdonald married on 22 August 1900. The couple became known internationally for their interior design after images of their home were published.
