The People's Palace is to welcome back Glaswegians again this summer.
Campaigners shared fears over the future of the iconic museum and the Winter Gardens with former curator, Dr Elspeth King, warning the city's social history faced being "chopped off" due to cutbacks.
The attraction was left off the reopening list back in July 2020, with a Glasgow Life spokesman at the time warning "the financial impact of Covid-19 on Glasgow Life will see losses in the tens of millions".
But the organisation, which runs Glasgow's libraries, cultural venues and leisure centres, has now announced the much-loved attraction could reopen as early as this summer following an upgrade to its water systems.
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No reopening date has been set for its adjoining Winter Gardens, overseen by Glasgow City Council, as the glasshouse must undergo repairs.
Dr Elspeth King said: "I'm so glad that we've managed to improve on the news from Glasgow Life, and that the People'e Palace museum will be open this year. That's welcome progress!"
Opened in 1898, the People’s Palace is a centre for culture and entertainment which was designed to build community spirit and promote the health and wellbeing of Glaswegians.
The museum and its Winter Gardens closed to the public on December 31, 2018 after an engineer's report indicated that the structural integrity of the glasshouse could not be guaranteed.
It reopened in spring 2019 following a £350,000 programme of works, though the People's Palace sandstone building and glasshouse structure need further repairs.
Glasgow Life applied to the Heritage Lottery Fund for a substantial grant to safeguard its future in 2019 but it was declined.
A spokesperson for Glasgow Life said: “Work is due to start at the People’s Palace shortly on an upgrade to hot water systems.
"We anticipate this will allow us to announce an opening date for the People’s Palace that coincides with the school holidays this summer.”
