Olympia

The Olympia Theatre of Varieties is a landmark Category B Listed building which sits at the heart of Bridgeton Cross, a traditional urban hub, one mile east of Glasgow city centre. The property was built as a theatre in 1911 and remodelled as a cinema in the 1920s.

It ceased cinema operation in the 1970s and took on various commercial uses thereafter. The building then lay derelict for 18 years, suffering considerable internal fire damage in 2004, which destroyed the majority of the original interior features. The property is one of a very few listed properties in the east end of Glasgow.

The historic building has been reinvented as a public library, office building and centre of excellence for elite athletes. Works included the removal of the building structure in order to provide four storeys of new flexible floorspace of over 3,300m² whilst retaining the original façade. The listed façade underwent careful stabilisation and protection from further deterioration before being sensitively restored and integrated into the new structure, with the prominent 'Cupola' dome reconstructed as part of this process.