South Screen Archway, City Chambers, 82 George Square, Glasgow

The North Screen Archway, City Chambers, at 82 George Square, Glasgow, is a substantial extension to the existing City Chambers building, designed by Watson Salmond and Gray and constructed between 1913 and 1929. The extension is a large, severely Greek structure linked to the original City Chambers by a pair of arches spanning John Street. Its design is inspired by the French Renaissance style of Francois Mansart.

The City Chambers extension comprises four storeys, an attic, and a basement. It possesses nearly symmetrical elevations along Cochrane Street and George Street, with a shorter facade facing John Street. The exterior is faced with polished ashlar stone, with a polished pink granite basement that is channelled to the ground and basement levels, particularly at the end bays.

The Cochrane Street elevation presents an almost symmetrical facade with a 1-1-6-1-1 bay arrangement. The penultimate bays are advanced and feature boldly moulded entrances; the left entrance is roll-moulded, shouldered, and corniced, while the right entrance has deep cavetto margins of black marble and a heavy consoled cornice. Good cast-iron outer grilles and inner doors are metal-framed with margin glazing, complemented by a fanlight. Basement windows are basket-arched, with other windows being square-headed. The first and second floors feature six central bays grouped within a fluted giant Ionic colonnade, supporting an entablature. The end bays to the right are flanked by Ionic columns, with windows above the doorway being paired and flanked by sidelights. To the left, windows are recessed in pilastered reveals, displaying characteristic “swag” detailing from the 1920s. A heavy mutule cornice runs over the second and third floor windows, which are recessed and feature consoled cornices. All windows are metal-framed casements, mostly three-light with small-pane glazing. Metal panels are situated between the first and second windows, with stone to the left. The third floor is set back to create an attic effect, featuring channelled masonry with bands of vermiculated rustication. A blocking course and deep block pediments are present over the advanced bays.

The John Street elevation is similarly detailed, with a central tripartite bay projected forward. Steps lead to a wide central doorway, and giant Ionic columns and pillars flank the first and second floor windows.

The George Street elevation mirrors the detailing of the other facades.

The paired screen archways across John Street connect the City Chambers with the Cochrane Street extension. Constructed of polished ashlar, set on a base course of polished pink granite, they feature a tall central arch flanked by paired fluted Ionic columns (with unfluted Doric pilasters on their inner faces) and lower arches. All arches are moulded and feature a cartouche over the central arch displaying coats of arms. A mutuled cornice tops the archways, with a segmental pediment over the centre flanked by die pedestals supporting urns. A deep, plain, panelled parapet rises above the centre.