A fire, a sauce boss and a student development firm: Can the O2 ABC be saved?
Total demolition of the O2 ABC was given the green light last week, sparking a fierce debate over salvaging the historic former cinema.
It was a balmy night in June 2018 when crowds of revellers stood in clusters, enthralled by the horror of flames and smoke gushing from the Glasgow School of Art for the second time in four years. The fire spread to neighbouring buildings, tearing through the roof of the historic O2 ABC and licking at the sides of Jumpin Jaks nightclub. It took the tireless work of more than 120 firefighters to extinguish. The remains of the buildings smouldered for days.
At first, the loss of the O2 ABC was overshadowed by the second fiery blow to the Mackintosh Building. But the ruin of one of the city’s most important music venues was devastating. “It won’t be the end of the venue. The venue will eventually reopen,” concert promoter Paul Cardow told Daily Record at the time. “At the moment, we are just waiting to hear when. The venue will have to undergo extensive rebuilding but that will happen.”
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The Glasgow Wrap to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.