One of the bosses behind Glasgow’s ABC venue has promised its return after it was severely damaged by the fire that destroyed the adjacent Glasgow School Of Art’s Mackintosh Building on Saturday morning (16 June).
The fire started on Friday night (15 June) and flames spread from the art school to the ABC. The venue’s roof collapsed as a result. The Mackintosh Building had been recently renovated following a fire there in 2014.
Promoter Paul Cardew told the Daily Record of his despair at seeing the venue on fire.
"I arrived at the venue within the first hour of the fire", he said. "I sat in the street and cried, but it wasn't until we got the aerial photograph that we got an idea of just how bad the damage is... Nobody knows what happened, but I don't know many buildings that can survive having a roof falling in and 24 hours of high pressure water poured into it".
Describing the loss of the venue as “a blow to the local community”, he added: “It won’t be the end of the venue. The venue will eventually reopen.
“At the moment, we are just waiting to hear when. The venue will have to undergo extensive rebuilding but that will happen.”
The ABC opened in 2005 with a gig by Sum 41. Originally built in 1875 and named The Diorama, the venue became Hubner’s Ice Skating Palace 10 years later before being transformed into a cinema in 1929.
Adele, Ed Sheeran and Bruno Mars have all performed at the venue.
The fire means that a number of gigs have either been moved to other venues or cancelled. Ticket holders for upcoming events have been asked to check for updated information on the venue’s website.
A statement from the ABC reads: “We will post updates regarding all forthcoming shows on the individual event pages of this website. We apologise for the disruption and sincerely regret any disappointment this may cause, but safety is our priority.”
