Beneath the façade of the former Tusk nightclub in Glasgow lies over a hundred years of history.
But this architecture – which has brought the building an A-listed status – is crumbling, leaking and suffering from dry rot.
The building, on Moss Side Road in Shawlands, has known life as a cinema, bingo hall, snooker club – and then as the popular Tusk nightclub in the early 2000s.
Tusk closed its doors in 2009 and part of the building remained open as the Waverley Tearooms until 2017 before the lights were turned off for good and the site fell into ruin.
STV NewsFollowing its closure, the site was set to be transformed into a Wetherspoons pub, with hopes it would replace the Sir John Stirling Maxwell on Kilmarnock Road.
But those plans were abandoned last year and now Sam Amdjadi, a southside businessman, is leading a bid to return the 103-year-old building to its glory days.
He wants to bring a cinema back to the southside, along with a café and multi-purpose community space and he has the backing of a community-led steering group.
The team were granted access to the site to assess the extent of the damage and invited STV News along to see inside.
The large auditorium, which originally opened at the Waverley Picture House, is still largely intact but the crumbling plaster reveals the original 1920s pillars hidden below.
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STV NewsFor Sam, walking around the space felt “surreal”.
He said: “Ther building is eerily quiet as you walk around.
“I was lucky enough to be looking around both with the team that I’m going to be working with and also a local chap who used to attend the cinema when it was the Waverley Picture House.
“It’s stunning, the areas that are being uncovered and the original features are beautiful to look at – but clearly there’s work to be done.”
He added: “I like to work to worst case scenarios and as a team we are looking at this as a challenge.
“At this stage, I would still like to get the specialists in to look, particularly at the basement where a lot of water is being let in and there’s visible dry rot which concerns me.”
Amanda Johnston, a member of the community steering group, told STV News: “It’s so important for a community to have a space like this and I think it’s actually something at the moment that’s lacking.
“The southside of Glasgow is such a vibrant area and I think it just needs somewhere for people to come together, meet new friends and maybe see some films.”
Funding for the project is yet to be secured. It is believed the project could cost around £4m to £5m, and Sam says he’s had interest from both public and private investors.
He said: “This is going to be a long project and it needs resilience and community spirit, and that’s what is inspiring me.”
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