Nithsdale Tenement
Tenement Refurbishment – Nithsdale Road. Bringing new life to a 1887 Tenement by Alexander Greek Thompson’s (AGT) business partner - James Turnbull.
An old home given new life
This 1887 Tenement by Alexander Greek Thompson’s (AGT) business partner - James Turnbull was ravaged by fire in the 1970s and lay empty for a number of precarious years. Against trend in an age of civic vandalism; when Glasgow lost many historic Buildings + due to its curved corner prominence - it was saved and brought back into use with minimal change to its original appearance. Most probably due to the tenacity of Professor Gavin Stamp who considered it daily from his up stairs living room formerly AGT’s at 1 Moray Place.
From the garden suburb of Pollokshield’s community perspective, retaining the infamous Kitchin’s Corner as local meeting point was a triumph. When the local Victoria Hospital was in full swing – resident of 48 years in the block who lived across the second floor landing till she was 104 – Mrs Maclaren - recalled 7 nurses living in joyful joint occupancy in this house over 2 floors with its servant’s quarters in the attic.
First gallery
Breaking in a new millennia
The job started in 2000 was to bring it back to a single family residence requiring of a slow, careful + thorough strip out and strip back to bare walls.
Fabric lost to the fire including cornicing was recast in a bespoke mould on site to match original.
Floors were strengthened + The redundant brick built press was taken out, allowing the kitchen and dining rooms to flow to each other. As a result - Light now floods from street side triptych windows through the full depth of the apartment. Whilst washing the dishes with a view of the back court – you can simultaneously be called street side to arms amidst the Battles of Kenmure street.
Instating a working bathroom in the ever decreasing cheese wedge back -close side of these otherwise generous apartments was a mm perfect challenge and only just worked. Fire places were reinstated to manage seasonal moisture through stack ventilation.
Second gallery
Every room facing south
Acoustic separation designed to isolate a first floor dentist had been failing since the fire and sound testing was necessary given that Jimmy Reid held court with family down stairs on Sunday nights and Jack Maclean was regularly up the close twinkling Ivories.. Supplementary deadening between floors did some of the job and by 2002 new redwood floor boards were laid throughout.
The interior choices were to be simple to allow the sculptural nature of the odd shaped rooms and their fabric to speak.
With every front room a south facing lense toward Queens Park and the Kildrostan lime trees – not much was needed.