The former £1 million Dundee College — best known as the ‘Conshie’ — now stands windowless and exposed on Constitution Road.
Not for much longer with any luck.
Approval in July 2023 for the latest plans for student flats would add a fresh chapter to the rich history of this 54-year-old Dundee landmark.
The shocking state of the abandoned campus was a far cry from when it housed thousands of students from 1969-onwards and honed the craft of top local talent.
Construction work started in August 1966 at the 2.5-acre site adjoining Dundee Royal Infirmary on one of Dundee’s steepest streets at the junction with Barrack Road.
Here was brutalist concrete architecture at its best.
The site at 30 Constitution Road — which opened in August 1969 — was formed of two towers with the east being nine storeys tall and the west being five storeys tall.
The towers were linked by a podium which accommodated a gym, main hall and the famous canteen which served up omelettes and other fine fare to staff and students.
Originally known as the College of Commerce, the range of courses was extensive from London University’s external degrees to Junior Certificates for school leavers.
Some 4,000 students had enrolled in 1969 to study a wide range of subjects including banking, business studies, computer programming, nursing and police studies.
The majority were taking evening classes.
Dundee College official opening in 1970
The College of Commerce was officially opened on May 29 1970 by Princess Alexandra who was dressed in an “elegant off-white coat with a turquoise lattice-check design”.
The Courier reported: “Skies were grey and a cold east wind blew as Princess Alexandra’s limousine stopped close to the foot of the steps leading up to the front entrance.
“On the platform of the assembly hall where the opening ceremony took place, Lord Provost Fitzgerald welcomed the royal visitors, saying that, whilst she was no stranger to this part of the world, it was always a source of joy to people in this region to see her and to know there were ties which are likely to ensure her return for some time.
“Councillor Angus Wallace, convenor of the education committee, thanked the Lord Provost and said the princess would know that the first students were admitted to the new building last August.
“Perhaps the most striking of the college’s unusual features was the panoramic view afforded from the eighth floor, or even on the penthouse roof outside.
“Dundee had perhaps one of the finest city sites in Europe, and from the vantage point at the top of the college it was seen at its best.”
What did Princess Alexandra make of the college?
The princess said it seemed unique in that it afforded such a wide range of courses designed to fit men and women “to play some useful role in the professional world”.
During her two-hour visit she said that, despite the fact this could be called the age of automation, it was still people and individual talents that mattered in the world today.
Princess Alexandra began her tour by descending in an elevator to the eighth floor where she stopped to watch art students capturing the likeness of George Adamson.
The Courier said the 71-year-old “was dressed in 18th century costume and held a pike”.
The mind boggles.
There was no pomp and pageantry and the visit over-ran by 20 minutes because she spent so long chatting to the students before emerging at the downstairs reception.
The college never looked back.
The building gave so many folk a chance to access education.
The downside?
The frequency with which the lift broke down.
The climb up the hill to the college, plus all the steps, definitely kept you fit before you undid all that good work by having a few pints in The Bread at lunchtime!
The College of Commerce and Kingsway Technical College merged in 1985 to become Dundee College with more than 25,000 enrolments every year in its heyday.
Including a canary!
On a wing and a prayer
Former lecturer Jean Lee will never forget when the stunned visitor ruffled a few feathers at the radio studio which was built within the old janitor’s house.
She told me: “One day the windows were open and our teaching team were having a break when a puff of peachy orange blew in and landed on top of a filing cabinet.
“The puff of peachy orange turned out to be a rather stunned canary.
“We put water and biscuit crumbs within its reach and left it to get over the shock.”
An appeal to find its owners proved fruitless.
It was caught and brought into the SSPCA’s rehoming centre at Petterden.
“Somehow we felt responsible and arranged to adopt it,” said Jean.
“A student brought in an old bamboo cage and Wharf happily sang away in its new home on top of a filing cabinet in my office.
“The students named it and they were great when we let it out for a fly around the room and were always keeping an eye on door and window openings.
“Needless to say we didn’t advertise the fact that we had a pet canary in the radio unit and had to say that students were recording birdsong when it was making a racket and we were on the phone!”
Keeping it during the summer holidays became problematic for Jean who had cats but thankfully one of the cleaners offered to take Wharf because she had parakeets.
Who needs Cilla Black?
Wharf fell in love with one of them and never returned to the Conshie!
The campus was still bustling with students in the 1980s and 1990s and recruitment events would often see crowds queued all the way down Constitution Road.
In 1996 Saturday studies were offered at the college in response to increasing demand for training and study opportunities outside conventional college hours.
Busy times.
Of course, nothing lasts forever.
At the turn of the century, the 1969 building was in dire need of refurbishment and it was suffering from leaks and problems with its flat roof.
The college decided to shrink its estate from five buildings to two.
Its plan for 2008/2011 rationalised its estate and staff and students would vacate the Conshie and accommodation at Melrose Terrace and Graham Street.
All three sites became redundant and the Kingsway campus and the £48m redevelopment of Gardyne Road campus became the college’s two main centres.
Since that time, the concrete giant on Constitution Road continued to deteriorate considerably and became a target for firebugs, vandals and urban explorers.
Most windows were smashed and spray paint was daubed inside and out, including one very symbolic tag on the wall which stated: “RIP Dundee College”.
Numerous previous planning applications passed undelivered but the building is now set for a long-awaited revival comprising 409 studio rooms for students.
New life will hopefully be breathed into the existing facades.
And its walls once again will echo with the sound of students.
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