KELVIN Hall will close this summer to be turned into one of the UK's biggest museums.

The £60 million project will see the building become home to 1.5million treasures from the city's collections, from Glasgow University's Hunterian Museum and the Scottish Screen Archive.

With Kelvingrove Art Gallery opposite and Riverside Museum nearby, the city council – which owns the hall – hopes it could become a cultural quarter to rival South Kensington in London.

That is home to the Victoria and Albert, Science and Natural History museums.

Kelvin Hall will close in early July to allow work to start on the first £25m phase of the project.

It will involve creating an exhibition and study centre, which it is hoped will be finished at the end of 2016.

There will also be a new Glasgow Club sports centre.

Phase two, which could be ready by 2016, will provide new galleries and special exhibition and education spaces.

The current hall, built in 1927, replaced the first Kelvin Hall. Built for the 1901 Glasgow International Exhibition, the first hall, a wooden structure, burned down in 1925.

Over the years, the venue has played host to some of the biggest rock stars in the world.

In 1964, rocker Jerry Lee Lewis became one of the first artists to perform in the dramatic building.

He was supported by The Animals, who were booed off the stage.

The late 1960s and early 1970s were the key years for concerts. The Kinks recorded a live album at the venue in April 1967.

Between 1972 and 1977 the venue hosted the farewell tour of flamenco guitarist Manitas De Platas, and gigs by Perry Como, Elton John, Captain Beefheart, the New Seekers, Runrig's debut concert, and the James Last Orchestra.

Tangerine Dream performed as part of a British Tour and Mike Oldfield with the then Scottish National Orchestra staged his world famous Tubular Bells.

The Royal Scottish National Orchestra proms were held in the venue until 1990 when the new Royal Concert Hall opened at the top of Buchanan Street.

The hall also played host to war-time barrage balloon production, an ice rink, part of the 1951 Festival of Britain, motor, modern homes and dog shows and the city's annual Christmas circus and carnival.

One of the most famous events ever to be staged involved American evangelist Billy Graham's who in 1955 preached virtually every day for six weeks to an estimated 180,000 people.

In April 1979, Glasgow boxer Jim Watt fought South American Roberto Duran to claim the world lightweight title.

When the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre opened in 1985, Kelvin Hall was no longer needed for exhibitions.

In 1987 it was converted to its present use as a sporting venue and has since hosted many international athletic events as well as boxing, badminton and volleyball competitions.

vivienne.nicoll@ eveningtimes.co.uk