The building which housed the Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) in Glasgow has attracted 13 expressions of interest "from organisations seeking to run the building as a cultural venue."
The building's future has been uncertain since the CCA closed its doors at the end of January, after its remaining board members decided to put the organisation into liquidation.
Hopes of a reopening of the venue were raised almost immediately when Creative Scotland confirmed that it was the landlord of the building, an ownership dating back to the time of its predecessor, the Scottish Arts Council.
Read More: Unions demand Creative Scotland pulls plug on sale of CCA building
More than six months after it closed, the future of its Sauchiehall Street home, its contents and a nationally significant archive remains unresolved.
Creative Scotland, which owns the A-listed former CCA building, initially said it would work with partners to secure a new operator and reopen it as a cultural resource.
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However, the Scottish Government’s subsequent decision to put the Alexander “Greek” Thomson-designed property on the market prompted criticism and confusion, particularly as the venue had secured £3.4 million of public funding over three years only 18 months before its closure.
The sale process has intensified concern among artists, campaigners and politicians. Two competing cultural proposals have emerged: one from theatre and dance organisations seeking to create a production, rehearsal and performance hub, and another linked to plans for a Scottish Rock and Roll Music Hall of Fame.
Creative Scotland has said cultural operators are particularly welcome to bid for the building, but campaigners fear there is no binding safeguard to ensure it remains in public or cultural use.
On Thursday, the quango revealed that more than a dozen bids had been hinted at by organisations, all looking to run the building as a cultural venue.
A spokesperson for Creative Scotland said: "We are pleased to report that following an open call, we have received 13 expressions of interest in 350 Sauchiehall Street, the former Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA).
"All expressions of interest are from organisations seeking to run the building as a cultural venue.
"We will now move to a call for more detailed submissions from interested parties and details of this process will be announced shortly."
Further controversy arose after equipment left at the CCA and an archive covering the venue and its predecessor, the Third Eye Centre, were marketed for sale by liquidators. The collection documents exhibitions, workshops, festivals and performances spanning around 50 years of Glasgow contemporary-art history.
Culture Secretary Màiri McAllan has said she received assurances that the archive was not included in the auction of contents, and that Creative Scotland is working with local partners and liquidators to secure its long-term future in Glasgow.
However, critics have argued that assurances alone are insufficient without clarity over funding, decision-making and formal protection.
Labour and Scottish Green MSPs have called for the building, archive and remaining contents to be retained as cultural assets, while the Save Our CCA campaign has gathered more than 2,200 petition signatures seeking to halt the building sale.
Its supporters include prominent figures from Scottish arts and culture, underlining the strength of concern over the loss of a venue long regarded as a key part of Glasgow’s cultural infrastructure.
The Herald reported earlier this month that union leaders have joined forces to demand an “immediate halt” to the sale of the former Centre for the Contemporary Arts in Glasgow.
The Scottish Government’s arts agency is being urged to suspend the planned disposal of the Sauchiehall Street building and instead instigate a full public consultation into its future.
Organisations have united to call for Creative Scotland to engage “meaningfully” with arts workers and communities about the building's future.
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