AN ancient monastery, a terrorism-damaged office and a decaying Scottish landmark – these are Europe's most endangered heritage sites, according to a continental culture body.
Fifty-year-old heritage organisation Europa Nostra has named the Egyptian Halls on Glasgow's Union Street as amongst the 14 most at-risk buildings.
The highly decorated structure by celebrated architect Alexander Greek Thomson dates from the 1870s and in its lifetime has housed retail units, offices, studios and restaurants.
However, much of the five-storey building has been unoccupied for 40 years, during which time it has suffered serious water damage and other decay which could cost up to £15million to repair.
And, currently kept behind the huge hoarding that covers the scaffolding which protect passers-by from potential falling masonry, it has been hidden from public view for many years.
Plans for hotels and other conversions have all fallen through.
At the weekend the Sunday National revealed how experts believe the loss of the privately owned building would hurt Scottish architecture as much as the loss of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh building at Glasgow School of Art.
READ MORE: Experts showcase visions for saving Alexander Greek Thomson’s masterpiece
Today Europa Nostra says the "masterpiece" is "increasingly confronted with the danger of being lost".
And the list ranks it alongside Khoranashat Monastery in Armenia, which dates back to the Middle Ages and sits in a border area prone to landslides, and the Modernist Oslo offices which, despite bearing Picasso murals, face "imminent risk of demolition" due to damage sustained in the 2011 terror attack by mass murderer and white supremacist Anders Breivik.
Eight died and 200 were injured in the bombing and the Y-Block site, according to Europa Nostra "site now acts as a memorial to all victims of the attacks" and is "a symbol of the resilience of the democratic values that the terrorist failed to destroy".
Other sites listed include Belgrade Fortress in Serbia, which has Roman archaeological elements, Italy's Tuscan Castle of Sammezzano, which has been badly affected by vandalism and theft, and Finland's post-war Tapiola Swimming Hall.
A final seven will be selected from the list in due course.
The Alexander Thomson Society, which recently showcased 24 visions of future use for the Egyptian Halls, is now urging the public to show support for the building.
A "Save Egyptian Halls" petition has been posted on the change.org website.
Welcoming the Europa Nostra listing, a spokesperson said: "What it now needs is the public to demonstrate its support for the restoration and reuse of this architectural marvel, and to encourage those with the power to do so, to act now and save Egyptian Halls."
In an exclusive interview published last weekend, the society's vice-chair Scott Abercrombie told the Sunday National: "It's of national importance.
"Thomson, along with Mackintosh, is one of the city's two great architects. His work was held in massively high regard and the thing that set him apart is the decoration he used, the design he brought was not the way anyone else was working. His buildings are completely unique and this one is his triumph.
"The problem that the Egyptian Halls has is having been shrouded in scaffolding, people forget the quality of that facade.
"Separating the people from it means the people forget what they have."
The petition can be found by clicking this link.
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