The venerable galleries were silent, their elegant dimensions empty.

They seemed, although I am not a surveyor, to be in fine condition. In the entrance, a beautiful chandelier hung above marble and stone detailing, unlit. Light streamed in through the windows and cupolas on to empty floors and bare walls. The only sound in Glasgow's McLellan Galleries was the taps of our footsteps on the immaculate floors.

These rooms, in the centre of Glasgow, are some of the finest display spaces in Scotland. They are disused and have been for some time. In all, it was an eerie and, in many ways, sad scene. Invited by interested parties to view the currently empty and unused, but historic and much-loved, B-listed galleries, one could only wonder how Glasgow has allowed such a resource to lie, as if abandoned, for so long. Built in 1856, and in use for 150 years, the McLellan Galleries in Sauchiehall Street are shut and, it seems, will be for the foreseeable future. One wonders what their founder, the coachbuilder, councillor and influential patron of the arts, Archibald McLellan, would think of such a civic amenity, built for the arts, being allowed to lie empty.

There have been glimmers of hope in recent weeks. The Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts (RGI) seems to have come to an agreement, as reported in The Herald, to return to the galleries, once its regular home, for its annual show this year. But that show, perhaps lasting a month, will be a one-off, and the RGI is footing a £100,000 bill to make it work. The institute, which held its first annual exhibition, the largest open art show of its kind in Scotland, in 1861, is determined the galleries return to full-time use. But they cannot do it all themselves. The show is only temporary, once a year. What future does this venue have?

Its situation is anomalous. The main galleries and museums in this city are run by Glasgow Life, the arms-length body which oversees the Burrell Collection, Kelvingrove, the Riverside and others. The McLellan Galleries is not one of these properties. It remains owned by Glasgow City Council through its body, City Property. They are maintaining the galleries, and although it is understood work is needed to be done to make them a functional space, the numbers are not insurmountable. The last major show was for the treasures of Kelvingrove, when it was closed for a revamp between 2003 and 2006. With another Glasgow-based artist, David Shrigley, in the running for the Turner Prize, and three Glasgow artists set to represent Scotland at the Venice Biennale this month, with a historically vibrant visual art scene, not to mention the city's talent for music, dance, writing and more, it seems absurd that perhaps one of the city's – and the country's –best gallery spaces lies empty at the centre of its biggest city. City Property is looking for "long-term solutions". Surely they cannot be that hard to come by?