During the Victorian era, the city council refused planning permission repeatedly for this carpet factory because they didn't want to bring the tone of the neighbourhood down with such an unprestigious development. Eventually, the owner of the site gave in and hired William Leiper to design a building that would not be considered an eyesore and this extravagant piece of architecture is what he came up with. Some say that the frontage was to appear like a carpet laid out on Glasgow Green, others adhere to the story that when the building was commissioned in 1889, the owner wanted a replica of the Doge's Palace in Venice. Taking in the colourful tiles and decorative glasswork, either theory would fit. One thing is sure, there's nothing else like it in the city, or indeed Scotland, for its imagination and confidence. The building was extended in the 1930s when they added some glassy, art deco features typical of the time. It was then converted into the Templeton Business Centre in 1984.