Started as a music hall in 1857, this historic building offered musical shows to eager audiences. It was the most popular building in Glasgow, and as such, was the first to use electricity.
As the years went on, the Panopticon added many attractions to bring in larger crowds. The basement became a zoo in the early nineteen hundreds, and the attic was redesigned as a freak show and wax museum. All of this was modeled after the designs of P.T. Barnum. The building was renamed the Panopticon because one could pay a single admission price and see everything throughout the floors. Pan = “Everything” and Optika = “To see.”