Fancy living in a former synagogue? A two-bedroom penthouse apartment is for sale in the former Queen’s Park synagogue in the southern part of Glasgow, Scotland; its starting price is around £250,000.
Designed in neo-Romanesque style by the architect Ninian MacWhannel, the synagogue was built in the mid-1920s and functioned for worship until 2002, after which the dwindling congregation moved out and merged with another congregation.
Designated by Historic Environment Scotland as a Category B listed building in 1989, the former synagogue was converted into apartments in 2007-8. The exterior of the building remains preserved.
According to a heritage trail for the Langside neighborhood:
In 1990, as part of Glasgow’s year as European City of Culture, a series of fourteen stained glass windows designed by John K. Clark was installed, depicting the festivals of the Jewish Year. With the decline in the local congregation the Synagogue was closed in 2003. The windows are preserved in the Giffnock Synagogue (Maryville Avenue, G46) while its Ark has been removed to a new synagogue in Salford. In 2007 the building was converted to residential use (architects Sinclair, McPhail).
Photos on the real estate company’s web site and on the web site of the construction company that completed the conversion, show that some of the interior details, including arches, interior columns, and distinctive windows, were retained in the conversion.
“The design integrated many of the existing features of the building with modern construction techniques,” the construction company said.
See details and photos on the real estate company’s web site
See photos of the building on the Marshal construction company web site
1 comment on “UK: Penthouse for sale in former Queens Park Synagogue, Glasgow (Grade B listed building, converted into flats 15 years ago)”
A complete set of replacement windows were created in 1990 by renowned stained glass artist John K Clark to mark Glasgow’s year as European City of Culture. They were removed with the building closed and most of them are now installed in Giffnock Newton Mearns Synagogue, elsewhere in the city.