Egyptian Halls in Glasgow built 1873
Egyptian Halls, on the eastern side of Union Street, is a well-disguised commercial building behind an elaborate façade. Cast iron columns support the continuous floors which are bound together with a loose 'clinker concrete', which uses the slags of iron furnaces for both aggregate and cement. These floors would have been ideal for the manufacturing and storage of goods and are still in place, over 130 years later, in the now unoccupied upper storeys.
The magnificent frontage has a row of shops at ground level, which would have created a nice rental income for the landlord. Above the shops the exterior is different at every level, displaying a highly original selection of exotic themes.