One of Glasgow’s most distinctive buildings is being brought back to life as part of a £15 million transformation into a new live music, food, drink and events destination on the banks of the Clyde.
The historic North Rotunda beside the SEC is currently undergoing an extensive restoration which will create three floors of entertainment and hospitality space overlooking some of the city’s most recognisable landmarks.
And after several years of planning and construction, the team behind the project has now confirmed that the new Rotunda and Roundhouse is expected to open in May 2027.
The Category B-listed circular building has stood on the Clydeside since the late 19th century and originally formed part of an extraordinary network of tunnels allowing people and goods to pass beneath the River Clyde.
More recently generations of Glaswegians will remember the building as a restaurant and events venue.
It closed in 2023 after being acquired by Forrest Group, which also owns the neighbouring Radisson RED hotel.
The company is now spending around £15 million restoring the building while completely reinventing what happens inside it.
The ground floor will become The Roundhouse, a new live music and entertainment venue inspired partly by Nashville’s celebrated live music scene.
Plans include a substantial bar alongside bespoke sound and lighting systems, with the space designed to host live bands, comedy and other performances.
A new ground-floor extension will look towards the SEC, OVO Hydro, Armadillo and Finnieston Crane, while an outdoor area will create another place to eat and drink beside the river.
Upstairs, the character of the original Rotunda will become increasingly prominent.
The first floor is being turned into a lounge and pre-event space with an outdoor terrace and the existing floor-to-ceiling windows retained to take advantage of views across the Clyde.
The top floor will become the centrepiece of the restoration.
Its huge circular room will retain the building’s 360-degree windows and sit beneath the restored cast-iron and glass cupola, with the roof rising to almost eight metres at its highest point.
It is being designed as a flexible events venue capable of accommodating up to around 500 people for larger occasions, or approximately 200 to 300 guests for seated weddings, dinners and conferences.
The restoration is also intended to reveal architectural details which had disappeared during previous alterations to the building.
Forrest Group says original features including the cast-iron structure, circular open-plan floors and cupola are being preserved and showcased, while new additions have been designed to allow the Victorian building to operate as a modern entertainment venue.
Main contractor Thomas Johnstone Ltd describes the project as combining new performance, dining and flexible events spaces with the preservation of the Rotunda’s historic fabric.
The transformation has been several years in the making. Forrest Group bought the building in June 2023 and originally hoped to have its new venue operating in early 2026.
The extensive restoration is continuing, but the team has now set May 2027 as the opening date.
Andy Roger, who has previously held senior roles at Cameron House and Mar Hall, has also been appointed managing director of The Rotunda and Roundhouse as preparations begin to build its programme of entertainment and events.
Roger said: “The works are ongoing but very much on course – we will open in May 2027 as a multi-venue destination for everything from live music and comedy to weddings, events, conferences, awards ceremonies and everything in between.”
Forrest Group director Keith Vallance said the next stage would involve developing the programme and team that will operate the venue.
He said: “We are creating the city’s most exciting new social, entertainment and events destination.”
The Rotunda’s unusual shape is a reminder of a very different period in the history of the Clyde.
The North and South Rotundas were constructed as entrances to the Glasgow Harbour Tunnels, which carried pedestrian and vehicular traffic underneath the river at a time when the Clyde was packed with shipyards, docks and heavy industry.
The North Rotunda survived as the landscape around it changed dramatically, eventually finding itself surrounded by the SEC, Hydro, Armadillo, hotels and modern developments that have turned this stretch of the Clyde into Glasgow’s main entertainment district.
Forrest Group believes its restoration can now give the building another chapter – returning a familiar Glasgow landmark to public use while creating a new destination for gigs, drinks, dining, weddings and events.
The Rotunda and Roundhouse is scheduled to open in May 2027.