Opening
Kelvingrove first opened its doors to the public on 2 May 1901 when it formed a major part of the Glasgow International Exhibition. Its collections came mainly from the McLellan Galleries and from the City Industrial Museum, which had been opened in 1870 in the former Kelvingrove Mansion.
Urban Myths
A popular myth is that the building was built the wrong way round, as is the story of the architect committing suicide by leaping from one of the towers!
When Kelvingrove opened to the public back in 1901 the main entrance was from Kelvingrove Park, but nowadays most visitors enter from the main road at Argyle Street.
WWII
During World War II most of Kelvingrove's valuable works were housed at secret locations around the country. This was just as well as a bomb landed in nearby Kelvin Way in 1941, where fifty tons of window glass were shattered and many of the plaster casts in the Sculpture Court were damaged.
Restoration
Kelvingrove closed in June 2003 for restoration work to attract new and wider audiences - it re-opened in July 2006.
The total cost of this restoration was £27.9m from:
Heritage Lottery Fund - nearly £13m
Glasgow City Council + ERDF - £12m, including £2.5m from Kelvingrove Refurbishment Appeal
Hsitoric Scotland - £500,000
Scottish Natural Heritage - £371,000
During this restoration, the Collection was stored at Glasgow Museums Resource Centre in Nitshill.
(The external stonework of the building was cleaned back in 1987.)