The CCA building was originally home to the Third Eye Centre, which was established by the Scottish Art Council in the 1970s.
With performers including Billy Connolly, Whoopi Goldberg and American poet Allen Ginsberg, a key figure in the Beat movement, the venue was an outlet for Glasgow’s counter culture.
It closed in 1991 with the CCA taking its place as a hub for the city’s art scene.
The venue has endured a turbulent several years, having been first forced to close in 2018 after a fire destroyed the nearby Glasgow School of Art.
Several of the businesses which rented out space inside the building never returned after it reopened.
The centre’s popular cafe bar – the Saramago – closed permanently in 2023 after a lengthy and bitter dispute over staffing issues led the venue to discontinue its relationship with the bar – a decision that resulted in a financial hit.
The CCA itself temporarily closed in December 2024, stating this was in a bid to secure its long-term future amid significant financial concerns.
The following month it announced it had secured a “significant uplift in funding” from Creative Scotland, to be spread over a three-year period.
At the time the CCA board said the cash influx would let them look ahead with a renewed energy.
However within months, further protests took place regarding the CCA board refusing to support the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI).