Building record MAB25155 - PALACE THEATRE, BRIDGE PLACE, ABERDEEN

Former theatre, built in 1898 with a John Rust façade that was retained after a 1929 rebuild.

Former theatre, built in 1898 with a John Rust façade that was retained after a 1929 rebuild. The building was extended in 1931, converted to a ballroom in 1959 and then a nightclub in 1976. Early theatre performers included a young Charlie Chaplin and in 1904 the young Liberal MP Winston Churchill addressed a political rally from the Palace. The theatre replaced an earlier building on the site depicted on the OS Town Plan 1866-7 annotated 'Circus', the former Peoples Palace which suffered a disastrous fire in September 1896. The present building is a well detailed symmetrical four-storey, seven-bay former theatre with a classically inspired lofty granite façade fronting the shell of the former theatre building. There are pedimented centre bays with channelled pilasters at the ground flanking a broken semicircular pediment over the door with fluted pilasters above flanking a blind oculi and blind arcade, also with a broken centre pediment and blind tympanum at the thirrd floor capped by a small ogeed tablet. Outer doors are surmounted by broken triangular pediments with acanthus motifs below decoratively-astragalled oculi. The granite ashlar building has band courses, cornices, a blocking course, square- segmental- and round-arched openings, stone transoms and mullions, hoodmoulds with label stops and largely blocked openings, although some fixed-pane plate glass windows remain. The grey slate roof has lead flashing, a metal ventilation cowl to the ridge and cast-iron rainwater goods. Little of original interior decorative scheme remains aside from a small amount of moulded plasterwork cornicing and an Art Deco style staircase and ironwork spiral stair.

Period Notes
Listed 08/04/2002. Built in 1898, rebuilt in 1929, extended in 1931, converted to a ballroom in 1959 and then a nightclub in 1976.

Record last edited

Jan 29 2020 12:45PM