The Hunterian Art Gallery and Mackintosh House are cement-rendered and are in the modern Brutalist style. Built in the 1970s and opened in 1980-81, the building is home to the University’s art collection as well as the partly-reassembled interiors from Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s and Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh’s former home at 78 Southpark Avenue, which was knocked down in 1963. 

On 22 August 1900, Mackintosh and Macdonald were wedded and would have celebrated their 126th wedding anniversary this year. 

The Mackintosh-Macdonald home at Southpark Avenue, which the pair extensively remodelled, represented an artistic statement about the possibilities for a new domestic environment. 

The Hunterian is Scotland’s oldest public museum. It opened in 1807 and later moved to the University of Glasgow’s Gilmorehill Campus in 1870.

But later other museum spaces were opened as the campus expanded. The Hunterian Art Gallery is a purpose-built public gallery and university museum which was built in the 1970s. 

Dara Parsons, head of designations at HES, said: “The Hunterian Art Gallery and Mackintosh House is outstanding for its innovative and monumental design, which reflects both Brutalist trends of the 1970s and emerging postmodern ideas and for the association with Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Margaret Macdonald.

“We are consulting on a proposal to list the building at category A, and we hope to hear from everyone with thoughts on the proposal.”

Professor Steph Scholten, director of The Hunterian, said: “We welcome Historic Environment Scotland’s proposal to list the Hunterian Art Gallery and Mackintosh House at Category A. 

“The building is a remarkable part of the University of Glasgow campus and an important Scottish cultural landmark.”

Scholten added: “For more than four decades, the Hunterian Art Gallery and Mackintosh House have supported teaching, research and public engagement, welcoming visitors from around the world.

“This proposed designation recognises not only the building’s outstanding architectural significance, but also its enduring contribution to Scotland’s cultural life.”