Landmark building's future unclear after huge blaze

By Mike Farrell

The future of a landmark building gutted by fire in the centre of Glasgow this week is still unclear.

The Gusset Building, which is the former Co-op Funeral Services Building in Tradeston, was severely damaged in the blaze on Monday.

More than 100 firefighters battled the flames at the Morrison Street B-listed building for hours.

Glasgow City Council’s building control team has now assessed the extent of the damage done to the structure.

A council spokeswoman said: "The building was made up of three buildings originally and two are gutted - no floors from ground to fifth floor level - with the third building partially damaged.

"This is now a dangerous building, and our building control team are now looking to speak to the building owners and their representatives to take the situation forward."

After a building has been deemed dangerous in Scotland, the owners must work to make any alterations to make the structure safe. The council also has powers to implement works to secure a dangerous building.

Around 60 flats close to the blaze were evacuated on Monday, before residents were allowed to return by emergency services at around 9pm.

Staff at the council's Centenary House, which is near the site of the blaze, were also evacuated before they were allowed to return on Tuesday morning.

Kingston Bridge

At the height of the fire, which caused the collapse of the roof of the building, large clouds of black smoke billowed across the M8 at the Kingston Bridge, while streets surrounding it were shut off by emergency services.

Belfast-based property developers the Benmore Group bought the building from the Co-op in September 2007 for £4.2m.

On Wednesday, a spokesman for the group said: "We can confirm that the building is owned by Benmore Group and we are extremely concerned at what has happened.

"It is a historic building and we were at the early stages of planning a major refurbishment project which would have seen it restored to its former glory, with a number of potential end uses.

"We are now working with Glasgow City Council to assess the extent of the damage before determining next steps."

Strathclyde Fire and Rescue has launched a joint investigation into the cause of the blaze, which began on the first and third floors of the building, with Strathclyde Police.

The Gusset Building was put up for sale in 2007 with the sellers stating that it could be converted into 75 luxury apartments.

It was built in 1876 as a warehouse for the Co-op and was named the Gusset Building because it sits in the wedge formed by the intersection of Morrison Street and Paisley Road. It was eventually used for the publication of the Co-op’s in-house magazine and funeral business.

IN DETAIL