The stylish interior of a Glasgow pub that called last orders for the final time almost 50 years ago has been given a new lease of life on the other side of the world.
The art nouveau bar and gantry of lost Queen Street watering hole St Mungo Vintners' has reappeared as the swish new 'speakeasy' break-out area for a healthcare advice firm based in Santa Monica, California.
Thanks to the admiring glance of an American visitor, the historic furnishings had been deemed too good for the scrap heap when the pub poured its final pints in 1974.
READ MORE: The story of how one of Glasgow's best known pubs ended up in a Los Angeles warehouse
The story goes that Los Angeles lawyer, Mitchell Litt, fell head over heels for the Glasgow drinking den shortly before its closure and agreed to buy the whole interior.
Litt's deep pockets saw the old pub's bar, decorative panels, brass work, tables, chairs, and even stained-glass windows packed up and shipped more than 5,000 miles away to the Golden State.
But despite having coughed up the cash, Litt's dream of opening his own pub incorporating the classic furnishings never came to fruition, and the interior, which was designed by Glasgow architects McWhannel & Rogerson, remained in storage for decades.
Around 10 years ago, Mitchell Litt's son, Kevin, detailed the remarkable story and shared his father's photos of the pub and its interior via a lengthy post on his website Kevin Litt Design.
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In the article he wrote: "Nearly 40 years ago, my parents were in Glasgow, Scotland when one of their favourite pubs, St. Mungo Vintners, was closing down. They purchased the interiors of the pub and shipped it to Los Angeles."
Finally, after almost half a century of being hidden away, the St Mungo Vintners' interior is now being enjoyed by the employees at GoodRx Holdings Inc.
The American firm moved into new headquarters in Santa Monica in October 2021 and unveiled their "pièce de résistance" break-out space, featuring the long lost Glasgow pub.
After purchasing the interior from Kevin Litt, GoodRx CEOs Douglas Hirsch and Trevor Bezdek hired designer Bobby Green to model the lounge, which they have billed as a "speakeasy".
Writing on social media, Bobby Green said: “I’m quite proud of the final result and really enjoyed the project whilst learning about my own Scottish heritage in the process.”
Photos of the Glasgow pub interior prior to its 1970s removal can be viewed here.
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