The Beresford Building: The fascinating life and times of Glasgow’s first skyscraper

The Beresford on Sauchiehall Street building has lived many lives in its near century long history, going from a trendsetting hotel to a treasured student halls before becoming the private accomodation we know it as today.

So much history is associated with the Beresford Building, generations of communities were fostered within its walls, with many of famous faces of the 20th century gracing the lobby at some stage. From JFK to Carol Smillie.

The building played a role in Glasgow’s response to World War II, as many American GI’s would stay in the hotel while stopping over on their way to or from Europe.

We went through every iteration of the Glaswegian building, from its construction to its modern day use, to explain the importance of the Beresford and it’s impact on the culture of Glasgow.

Construction ~1938

Designed by the architect William Beresford Inglis from the firm Weddell & Inglis, the Beresford Hotel opened in 1938 to provide accomodation for visitors to the city attending Glasgow’s Empire Exhibition.

It was described as ‘Glasgow’s first skyscraper’, the tallest building built in the city between the First and Second World War, standing at seven storey’s high. The building is the city’s most notable example of Art-Deco architecture, and is protected as such under it’s B-listed categorisation.

The construction cost around £170,000, which is equal to just over £9,000,000 in today’s money.

The Beresford Hotel ~1938-1952

Rather unusually, William Beresford Inglis, the architect of the building, went on to manage the hotel as both the owner and director.

Business would boom during the Second World War, as the hotel was requisitioned to accomodate US Army soldiers - who became a regular feature and attraction on Sauchiehall Street during wartime, much to the chagrin of many local men. It was just down the road from Charing Cross - which was the centre of American activity during the war long before the cross was bulldozed to make way for the M8.

The most notable figure to visit the Beresford Hotel, in perhaps it’s entire history, was John F. Kennedy - the soon-to-be American president - who gave a speech at the Beresford Hotel in 1939. It was the first public address in his career that would in years to come peak at the highest level of Government in the Western world.

JFK, just 22 at the time, gave the address of behalf of his father, then US Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy, to try and smooth things over after the Govan built-ship the Athenia was sunk by a German U-boat at the outbreak of the war.

Unlike his later crowd-rousing speeches, his first public address didn’t go down well, as survivors from the sinking opposed the isolationist viewpoint espoused by Kennedy on behalf of his father in an attempt to distance America from the rising conflicts in Europe.

Following the end of the Second World War, the demand for hotels in Glasgow drastically dropped - leading to the closure of the hotel with the space converted into office blocks.

Baird Hall of Residence ~1964-2004

For 12 years between 1952 to 1964 the Beresford building was used as offices for a range of businesses across the city.

The University of Strathclyde would buy the building in 1964 to be used as student accomodation, naming their recently acquired purchase ‘Baird Hall’.

This would be the building’s longest time under any role, spending a total of 40 years as accomodation for students coming to the city to study from all corners of the world.

Some of the wildest nights at the Beresford wouldn’t have taken place in the fancy ballroom of the hotel, but in the messy student hall parties that would see Christmas Trees and traffic cones hanging down the building’s atrium.

The Channel 4 programme Changing Rooms, presented by Carol Smillie, would also renovate a dormitary in the Beresford Building for the TV. The show sees ‘neighbours, relatives, or friends’ work under a time limit to renovate rooms in each other’s houses with the help of professional interior designers.

Two groups of students renovated each other’s halls - and by most accounts from students at the time - the final results were not outstanding examples of interior design.

If the ballroom hotel was the prim and proper era of the Beresford Building, the years as Baird Hall were the Beresfords more angsty, more edgy phase. The buildings mid-life crisis would come to an end in 2003, when it was sold and began its re-conversion into private apartments.

The Beresford Building ~2008-Modern Day

Since 2008, the new flats inside the Beresford Building have been used as private accomodation - offering some of the most premiere property in the city centre, including rooftop penthouse flats for the Glaswegian elite. In total there are 121 flats in the Beresford Building.

Not much has been going on for the building since it’s conversion into private-lets - that was until the Covid-19 pandemic. A group of hospitality professionals in Glasgow put together a crowdfunder to launch the ‘Beresford Lounge’ - a 1930’s style restaurant and bar that harkens back to the era in which the building was opened.

A novel idea, and one that Glaswegians were more than happy to fund with dreams of getting involved in Gatsby-esque parties that were sure to be held in the venue in the bottom floor and basement of the building.

Unfortunately, costs proved too expensive, and the people behind the Beresford Lounge were forced to sell the space before they even opened - where it was listed online for a freehold price of £800k - or from a yearly lease of £60k a year.

It’s unclear whether the space has been bought, and if we can expect any new pubs or clubs in the Beresford anytime soon, but it seems unlikely, as read in the sales document; ‘the premises require significant capital expenditure’ before opening - making it likely that the internals are far from finished.

The Beresford was the tallest building in Glasgow at a time when the skyline was dominated by smokestacks and chimneys - long before the construction of the high flats. It seems like the building will outlive most of the tower blocks around Glasgow - despite being built long before them.

Despite the construction of many more skyscrapers in Glasgow in the near century long lifespan of the Beresford (including the worlds tallest cinema) - none match the character and stature of the Beresford Building.