GLASGOW’s own Arc de Triomphe symbolised ancient classical architecture while being at the forefront – literally – of the city’s modern nightlife.

The McLennan Arch was originally part of the Assembly Rooms, built in Ingram Street in the 1790s.

With broad streets and a host of new houses, offices, and shops, eighteenth-century Glasgow was becoming 'one of the most beautiful small towns in Europe'.

By 1800 the city had a population of about 70,000 and its developing reputation as a merchant city meant that it was fast-growing. As it became a thriving city, there was a demand for cultural and entertainment amenities.

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The Ingram Street building was purchased by the people of Glasgow, who bought 274 shares for £20 each. It was designed by brothers Robert and James Adam, whose portfolio includes the opulent Trades Hall in the Merchant City, and the original Royal Infirmary.

Glasgow Times:

While the Rooms were built to accommodate a modern, fast-paced Glasgow, the arch is a staple style of the Adam brothers, who went on grand tours of Europe and relied heavily on Roman antiquity as their muse. The arch was inspired by the triumphal arches of ancient Rome, and the Ionic columns of Greece, and features classical reliefs of Orpheus and the Three Graces.

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The Rooms provided a social gathering place for dances, music and other cultural activities, and in 1847 it became a club, the Atheneum. When the building was demolished in 1892 to make way for the new General Post Office, the central arch was preserved.

It was moved first to Greendyke Street and then to Glasgow Green in 1922 where it was arranged as a freestanding triumphal arch.