Wise Group Head Office, formerly Our Lady and St Franciss Secondary School

 

72 Charlotte Street  G1 5DW

Gillespie, Kidd & Coia, 1964

Category A Listed

‘A’ Listed building, designed by Gillespie, Kidd & Coia, famous for their application of modernism in churches and schools. Our Lady and St Franciss Secondary School until 1989, the building is currently head office to leading social enterprise The Wise Group.

The building from which the Wise Group currently operates was originally built as a school Our Lady and St Francis Secondary School.  The building opened in 1964.  Designed by architects Gillespie, Kidd & Coia, it was an extension to an earlier school located on the site that was also designed by Gillespie, Kidd & Coia but that is no longer in existence. The school was a Roman Catholic school for girls, commissioned by Glasgow City Corporation. The two principal architects involved in the design of the building were Isi Metzstein and Andy McMillan. Both architects trained and worked with the Gillespie, Kidd & Coia practice based in Glasgow. Metzstein and McMillan were inspired and influenced by the work and principals of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, although themselves progressive in thought, principal and practice, with trademarks and inventions of their own. The structure of the building is a reinforced concrete frame with exposed edge beams carrying wall panels of blue engineering brick. The robust character of the building reflected its direct exposure to daily street life and the warehouses which formerly stood on adjacent sites. The modelling of the façade moderates the quality of light to the classrooms and internally establishes a more intimate scale when at the edge of the building.                                                                            The design of 72 Charlotte Street was inspired by Le Corbusier and was exhibited at the RSA in 1965.Interestingly, the building sits on the site of the house owned by David Dale, a Scottish merchant and early social pioneer known for establishing the progressive weaving community of New Lanark.

Part of the Childrens Programme: Activities will include Charlotte Street and Green, Energy Efficiency related puzzles and competitions, and the chance to meet 10 foot Doug the Draught Excluder Caterpillar from the Scottish Government. Come have you photo taken!

Exhibition material wil

Discover Green Glasgow: A leading social enterprise, the Wise Group’s Vision is “To realise people’s potential, create a fairer, greener society and contribute to sustainable economic growth.”  In line with this commitment, the Wise Group has introduced energy efficiency measure

Number in Brochure: 50

Opening Times

Sat 10am 4pm

Tours: available on request; 40 minutes

Meeting Point: Reception Area Ground Floor

Access

Restrictions on Access: Some parts of the building not open due to the building now being offices.

Limited Disabled Access

Facilities

Disabled Toilet
Toilets
Hearing Loop
Refreshments Available

Getting Here
Nearest Train or Subway Station(s): Queen Street Station (Glasgow)

Parking: Car Park Available On-Site Free of Charge
Disabled car parking spaces available

Contact

0141 303 3131

[email protected]

www.thewisegroup.co.uk

Twitter

Youtube

Map

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Wise Group Head Office, formerly Our Lady and St Franciss Secondary School

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Wise Group Head Office, formerly Our Lady and St Francis\s Secondary School
55.853789, -4.241067