Beresford, Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow

Even though the weather was not so great today, I could not resist blipping this art deco gem.

The Beresford, formerly a hotel in Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, Scotland, is a mixed-use building combining privately owned and serviced apartments. It opened in 1938 to provide accommodation for those attending the city's Empire Exhibition and was often described as Glasgow's first skyscraper, being the tallest building erected in Glasgow between the two world wars, at 10 storeys high. It is also one of the city's most notable examples of Art Deco/Streamline Moderne architecture.

The architect, William Beresford Inglis, of Weddell & Inglis, was also the hotel's owner and managing director. The hotel became a favourite rendezvous for American servicemen during the Second World War.

Demand for hotel accommodation declined after the war and the building was bought by Imperial Chemical Industries and became an office block. The University of Strathclyde acquired it for student accommodation in 1964, renaming it Baird Hall.

It was sold in 2003 and work began on its re-conversion into private apartments. Due to its listed building status, the planning process involved continuous discussion and negotiation with both the Planning and Heritage & Design Departments of Glasgow City Council, and Historic Scotland, mainly relating to a proposed rooftop extension.