As a young draftsman working for respected Glasgow firm Honeyman and Keppie in 1893, Charles Rennie Mackintosh put together designs for a newspaper office on Mitchell Street.

With his first public commission, a 25-year-old Mackintosh would seize the chance to leave his mark on what was essentially just a warehouse structure at the back of the printing office of the Glasgow Herald.

Completed in 1895, at a cost which would today by equivalent to £2m, the Category-A listed building now known as The Lighthouse would house the newspaper for the next 112 years until 1980, when new publishing practices created a requirement for more modern premises. 

Featuring external walls constructed from red Locharbriggs sandstone and dominated by a water tower reaching upwards to a height of 44.5m (146ft), The British Architect praised it as “one of the most noticeable modern buildings in Glasgow”, while German architect Hermann Muthesius included the Herald building in his survey of British architecture, published in Leipzig in 1900.

READ MORE: Reinstatement of Mackintosh Building ‘will create increased interest in his legacy’

Writing in The Herald in 1997, Alexander Linklater described it as “an ordinary Victorian building made weird and marvellous with hints of Scots baronial”.

After 15 years of silence since the Herald moved to new offices, the Herald building was converted and extended to accommodate ‘The Lighthouse’, Scotland’s centre for architecture, design and the city, in 1999, following a 15-month, £8.5m refurbishment. 

Part of the repurposing of the building saw Mackintosh “move back” into the middle of his first building, thanks to a permanent show permanent Mackintosh Interpretation Centre or ‘Mack’ Centre dedicated to the entire oeuvre of his work, featuring models and displays of some of his best work, including the Glasgow School of Art, Hill House, the Mackintosh at The Willow.

Meanwhile, new helical staircase was installed to wind its way up the original water tower to an outdoor viewing platform, providing views across the city's rooftops.

The Herald: A helical staircase inside The LighthouseA helical staircase inside The Lighthouse

The successful redevelopment, as well as saving a part of Glasgow’s architectural heritage, allowed the building to experiencing a new level of appreciation. 

However, concern currently surrounds the future of the building, which is yet to fully reopen to the public since it was first forced to close when the UK introduced the first national lockdown measures in March 2020.

In 2022, a charity dedicated to promoting the works of Mackintosh expressed its worry about the closure while there are already “less buildings” from the Glasgow architect for the public to experience.

Stuart Robertson, director of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society, said: “With the School of Art building out of commission, it cuts down the numbers of Mackintosh buildings quite significantly.”

He added: “Around 130 listed buildings are at risk around Glasgow. We wouldn’t want to see the Lighthouse added to that list.”

A Glasgow City Council spokesman told The Herald: “The Lighthouse has a long and proud history, and is undoubtedly a great example of the city’s built heritage. 

"At present, we are considering options for the building’s future use, and will report on this in due course.”