The fire which destroyed the Union Corner building has caused great pain across Glasgow and beyond. It’s important that the city council does everything possible to bring it back in all its Victorian grandeur, says The Herald's Kevin McKenna

Even in its charred skeletal form, what remains of the Union Corner building still looked magnificent. Yesterday afternoon, its stone curvature – now missing its domed crown – was still standing, defying the predictions of building engineers who had gathered through the night to confer the last rites as flames threatened to bring it down.

In due course, Glaswegians will want some tough questions answered about the demise of this beloved, 175-year-old, B-listed jewel. Just what was it that caused a small fire in a vape shop, which had initially seemed under control, to engulf a four-storey stone building within a few hours?

The Union Corner building was completed decades before the first generation of modern fire safety regulations came into force. To what extent was this building and the grand, listed edifices which surround it retro-proofed to make them compliant with all the fire safety ordinances that have followed since?

The building in 1983 with a Barr's sign, picture taken from Bath Street and Renfield Street (Image: Herald staff)

Yet, before these matters are faced, a much more pressing concern must be addressed. Does Glasgow City Council have the will and the desire to restore this building faithfully to its previous glory? This question needs to be asked in light of the council’s ‘demolish first, ask questions later’ approach to other buildings which have succumbed in this tinderbox city. The demolition workers brought in to take down the ABC cinema on Sauchiehall Street seemed to arrive with undue haste, quenching all hope of........

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