The Grade-A former Victorian fishmarket, constructed between 1873 and 1914, sits in Glasgow's medieval heart, beside the city's first river crossing (which gave both the building and the street it sits on their names, "Briggait" being short for "Bridgegate").
Described as the "best surviving collection of market halls" in the UK, Historic Scotland also calls it a "Glasgow Icon". The building surrounds the 17th Century Merchants' Steeple, a fixture on the Glasgow skyline.
Following 8 years of planning, design and fundraising, the first phase of development of the building will go on site in next month. Broughty Ferry based Nicoll Russell Architects are responsible for the overall re-design, and a contract has been completed with Morris and Spottiswood as contractors.
This £6.3m first phase is fully funded with support from Glasgow City Council, Scottish Arts Council Lottery Fund, Scottish Enterprise Glasgow, Heritage Lottery Fund, Historic Scotland, The Mickel Fund, Hugh Fraser Foundation and loan finance from Triodos Bank.
The building will provide artists' studios, office space for cultural tenants, creative industries retail/office spaces, café and two exhibition/display spaces. Crucially, it will create a new public space on the riverfront, within the grandeur of the 1873 market hall, which will be restored to its former glory.
The building has had a chequered recent past. In the 1970s it was scheduled for demolition but plans were halted on the back of a vociferous public campaign.
A trust was formed which ultimately led to the development of the building for shopping and leisure in the mid 1980s. Unfortunately, the centre failed to find its place in the city's retail and the shopping centre closed before the turn of the decade.
Since then the building has been used for a number of temporary uses but will now be re-born as one of the largest cultural facilities in Scotland.
This is one of the main elements of a wider strategy to support the cultural sector and the wider creative industries in the Merchant City.
A second phase is in development and will be announced later this year.
