Skip to Main Content
Dictionary of Scottish Architects (1660 - 1980)
Home
Contact
Architects
Buildings
Practices
Search
Admin Login
Buildings
Building (Filter)
Building Search
Clear Selection
Basic Site Details
Name
Panorama
Town, District or Village
Parish
City or County
Glasgow
Status
C listed
Country
Scotland
Grid Ref
Grid Ref N
Grid Ref E
Notes
Cast-iron façade supplied by Walter MacFarlane & Co
An application by Associated British Cinemas Limited to reconstruct the premises occupied by the Waldorf dance hall in Sauchiehall Street for the purposes of a picture house has come before the Glasgow Dean of Guild Court. The proposed alterations include the erection of a new frontage. Mr Charles J McNair is architect for the work. [Builder 8 March 1929 p491]
Alternative Names
The following alternative names are associated with this building/design:
Alt classic
Name
Current Name
Notes
Hengler's Circus
No
1904
ABC Regal
1967 Reopened as ABC1 October 1967
Cannon
1986
MGM Cinemas
Yes
1992
Ice skating palace
No
1885
Hippodrome
No
1904 or1910? (Hengler's Circus)
Diorama
No
1875
Panorama
No
1888
Waldorf Palais de Danse
No
1927
Regal Cinema
No
1929
The O2
row(s) 1 - 11 of 11
Building Type Classification
The building is classified under the following categories:
Class classic
Classification
Original Classification
Notes
Theatre
Not Known
Cinema
Not Known
From 1929
row(s) 1 - 2 of 2
Street Addresses
The following street addresses are associated with this building:
Str Add classic
Address
Current Address
Notes
304-334 Sauchiehall Street
Yes
row(s) 1 - 1 of 1
Events
The following date-based events are associated with this building:
event classic
Event Type
From
To
Notes
1875
Initial building erected as Diorama
1882
Building became a Panorama
1885
Rebuilding as Ice Skating Palace
1890
'new' panorma
1904
Conversion into Hengler's Circus from Hippodrome (Buildings of Scotland says 1910)
1904/12/05
Hengler took over Hippodrome from Arthur Hubner who owned the Hippodrome
Alterations and additions
1911
Monir alterations to no 26
1927
Partly demolished and rebuilt as Waldorf Palais de Danse
1929
Conversion into Regal Cinema
1929/11/13
Reopened as Regal Cinema
Alterations and additions
1965
1967
Including brown brick extension - ABC2 cinema. See also separate entry for ABC2.
row(s) 1 - 11 of 11
People
Design and Construction
The following individuals or organisations have carried out design/construction work. Where architects or practices worked together, matching letters appear beside their names in the Partnership Group column.
design classic
Person
Partnership Group
Role
From
To
Notes
James Miller
1910
Conversion into Hengler''s Circus (Peter gives 1904 as date when Hengler took over, 'Buildings of Scotland' 1910, but perhaps alterations date from 1910)
Charles Rennie Mackintosh
H
Architect
1911
Minor alterations to no 26
Honeyman, Keppie & Mackintosh
H
Architectural practice
1911
Minor alterations to no 26
John Keppie
H
Architect
1911
Minor alterations (to no 26)
Neil Campbell Duff
1927
Part demolition and rebuilding as Waldorf Palais de Danse
Charles James McNair
1929
Conversion into Regal Cinema - includes centrepiece of façade (with canopy)
Cecil Jack Foster
J
Architect
1963
1965
Alterations and extension (ABC2 cinema)
Leslie C Norton
J
Job architect
1963
1965
Alterations and extension (ABC2 cinema)
Leslie C Norton & C J Foster
J
Architectural practice
1963
1967
Alterations and extension (ABC2 cinema)
(Sir) Robert Rowand Anderson
Date uncertain until 'Buildings News' checked
row(s) 1 - 10 of 10
Clients
The following individuals or organisations have commissioned work on this building/design:
client classic
Name
Notes
Hengler, Charles
row(s) 1 - 1 of 1
Related Buildings, Structures and Designs
Child Structures
This structure or site has the following component or child structures (click on an item to view details):
Child classic
Notes
Name
Opened in October 1967 in a large brick extension adjacent to the original cinema (re-named ABC1). The ABC2 cinema had 922 seats on a single level in stadium style, with a deeply curved screen, full 70mm facilities and and a fully licensed bar, built at a cost of approximately £250,000. <br><br>It is considered the first new cinema to open in Scotland after the Second World War. <br><br><br>
ABC2 Cinema, Sauchiehall Street
row(s) 1 - 1 of 1
References
Bibliographic References
The following books contain references to this building:
bio ref classic
Author
Year
Title
Part
Publisher
Notes
Peter, Bruce
1996
100 Years of Glasgow's Amazing Cinemas
Edinburgh: Polygon
p186
Peter, Bruce
1999
Scotland's Splendid Theatres: Architecture and Social History from the Reformation to the Present Day
Edinburgh: Polygon (an imprint of Edinburgh University Press Ltd)
p132, 186
Smith, Graeme
2008
The Theatre Royal: entertaining a Nation
Glasgow Publications
Walker, Brian
Frank Matcham Theatre Architect
pp2, 158
Williamson, Riches, Higgs
1990
Glasgow (The Buildings of Scotland)
p242
http://www.mackintosh-architecture.gla.ac.uk
http://www.mackintosh-architecture.gla.ac.uk
M313
row(s) 1 - 6 of 6
Periodical References
The following periodicals contain references to this building:
period ref classic
Periodical Name
Date
Edition
Publisher
Notes
Building News
*
LIII
p532 (Anderson panorama)
RIAS Quarterly
1932
Spring
Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS)
p17
Builder
1929/03/08
p491 - Warrant granted by Dean of Guild Court
row(s) 1 - 3 of 3
Archive References
The following archives hold material relating to this building:
arc ref classic
Source
Name
Cat Number
Item Name
Notes
Hunterian Museum
Mackintosh Collection
Job book (as HC Ltd)
Historic Environment Scotland
Listed Buildings Register
51547
row(s) 1 - 2 of 2