CENTRE IS A REAL GLASS ACT
IT WAS known for its huge glass roof, a garden wall with living plants, and it was THE place to shop when it opened its doors 30 years ago.
The St Enoch Centre, which heralded a retail revolution in the city when it first welcomed shoppers on May 25,
1989, is still going strong, three decades later.
The Forge, in the East
End, and boutique mall Princes Square on Buchanan Street had opened the previous year, but here was the city centre’s first undercover, state of the art shopping and leisure mall.
Built on the site of the former St Enoch Railway Station, which was demolished in 1974, it has dominated the skyline with its impressive glass roof – the biggest of its kind in Europe – ever since.
Technical services manager Jim O’Rourke started work in St Enoch just before it opened.
“It was exciting, being involved in the opening,” he nods. “This place was like nothing else.”
There are 89 staff in the centre, including cleaners, security personnel, the customer service team and management, and around 70 retailers. The centre has played host to famous bands, politicians and celebrities, including Union J, YouTuber Joe Suggs, Rod Stewart and even Spiderman, who dropped in to promote his latest movie. There are striking pictures in the St Enoch archive of him perched on the famous glass roof. The archive also includes photos of crowds flocking to see Union J, one of the big boy bands of the time. Margaret Thatcher, then Prime Minister, officially opened the centre in March 1990.
Back then, the Evening Times reported that Mrs Thatcher had