McManus galleries nominated for Saltire Society conservation award
Dundee's much-praised McManus galleries has wowed more judges on the way to picking up a Saltire Society award.
- By Bruce Robbins
- Published in the Courier : 13.11.10
- Published online : 13.11.10 @ 06.52am
The revamped gallery and museum won the conservation commendation in recognition of the skill involved to repair and conserve the 143-year-old building.
The judges praised the way that "significant restoration, underpinning and roofing works" were carried out by Dundee City Council's city engineer division, Muirfield Contracts and Page/Park Architects.
The McManus rejuvenation has already led to acclaim including the title of Dundee's best building in the city's civic trust awards.
Leisure, arts and communities convener Bob Duncan said The McManus's success just "goes on and on."
The building, he said, was being recognised "nationally and internationally" and the quality of its £12m makeover was "stunning."
He said, "Of course, we had great basics to work with but we've turned it into a very classy building that will remain classy for a long, long time.
"We have set a standard that the V&A will carry on and we should be proud of our city."
Mr Duncan said a beautiful building would not be much good if no one visited it, but the McManus has been "packing ‘em in" since it opened its doors at the end of February.
The Saltire Society was founded in 1936 to improve the quality of life in Scotland and seeks to preserve all that is best in Scottish tradition and to encourage new developments which enrich the country's culture.
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