The Grand Hotel, Wartime American Red Cross Service Club

Dr Kevin Morrison’s areas of interest are in the repurposing of buildings in wartime and how cities function in time of conflict, with a particular focus on Glasgow during the Second World War.

Kevin shares his research ton the repurposing on the Grand Hotel as an American Red Cross Service Club during the Second World War. The four-story Grand Hotel was one of Glasgow’s most iconic hotels, hosting weddings and functions from 1878 until it finally closed its doors in October 1968 to make way for the M8 motorway.

American Red Cross Service Clubs were set up in most British cities and towns to bring comfort and relaxation to America’s ‘citizen soldiers’ far from home. Between 1942 and 1946 many American service men and women on leave visited Glasgow and stayed in the Grand Hotel; with its labyrinth of luxurious rooms and banqueting halls it was ideal for serving American-style food and providing rest, advice and recreation for weary troops. The Grand Hotel’s most prestigious visitor (there were many) was probably Eleanor Roosevelt: unmpressed by the Grand’s pumpkin pie, she had her favorite White House cook send the Hotel their recipe!

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