The
building's distinctive appearance is due to the ornate design
which uses red sandstone from Locharbriggs for the exterior
masonry, and Westmorland green slate for the main roof.
The
building was designed by Englishmen John Simpson (1858-1933)
and E J Milner Allen (1859-1912). They won a competition
for the design of the building set in 1891 by the Association
for the Promotion of Art and Music. The competition received
62 entries, from which six were selected for further investigation.
Simpson and Miller's joint design was adjudged the winner
by Sir Alfred Waterhouse, the architect who designed the Science
Museum in London.
There is a popular local myth that the building was built
back to front, with the main entrance facing Kelvingrove Park
instead of Argyle Street. The myth also has it that the architect
was so distraught on realising his mistake that he jumped
to his death from one of the building's high towers. This
is most definitely not true, as the Museum was designed as
a feature of Kelvingrove Park to complement the Glasgow University
buildings, with the main entrance within the grounds of the
park.