Floral Hall, Zoological Gardens, Antrim Road, Belfast, Co Antrim, BT36 7PN

The Floral Hall is a large, two-storey modernist concert and dance hall built in 1935–36 to designs by David W. Boyd for Belfast Corporation. It stands within the grounds of Belfast Zoo on high ground to the west of Antrim Road, and is notable as the only surviving example of its type in the Art Deco style in the Province, and one of very few remaining Art Deco structures of any kind in Northern Ireland.

The building consists of a circular, shallow-domed central hall with angular flat-roofed foyer and stage/service blocks to the north and south, and a semicircular entrance portico. The entire exterior is finished in plain painted render, and all windows — large rectangular metal-framed openings throughout — have been boarded up. Metal rainwater goods are present. The shallow domed roof over the hall is covered in bituminous felt, and a circular ventilator projects from its centre. The roof coverings of the flat-roofed sections could not be inspected.

At the north end of the hall is a large, symmetrical flat-roofed projection comprising a central three-storey block flanked by flat-roofed two-storey sections. From the ground floor of the taller central section projects a semicircular, flat-roofed entrance portico supported on plain columns with a curving taper, carrying a tall, plain rendered frieze. Within the portico, following its semicircular plan, there is a series of doors, all now completely boarded over. Stone semicircular steps fan out from the base of the portico. Directly above the portico, at first-floor level, is a large rectangular metal-framed window with boarded-up panes — all windows across the building are similar in character and retain what appear to be their original frames, though all panes have been uniformly boarded. To the far left and right of the first floor are much smaller windows, with equivalent outer windows at second-floor level. At the centre of the second floor is a small painted moulding of the coat of arms of Belfast. Both the coat of arms and the large first-floor window are set within a broad but shallow bay, which rises to a typically Art Deco stepped parapet. Upon this parapet the words 'floral hall' are displayed in large letters — possibly metal — set on a projecting frame and rendered in a sans-serif lowercase typeface that does not appear to be original to the building, being of a more modern design. Behind these letters, directly above the coat of arms, is a tall, angular, typically Art Deco pediment moulding with reducing edges.

The east face of the three-storey block is only exposed at second-floor level and could not be clearly seen, but appears to have one large window. The west face, which was fully visible, has a boarded-up doorway to the left with two small windows to the right, and a small projection further right with a boarded opening on its north face that appears to have been a doorway. The two-storey flanking sections each have a large rectangular window to their respective first floors. The east face of the eastern flanking section has a similar window at first-floor level and a much smaller window at ground floor. The west face of the western flanking section is considerably larger in area and features a boarded-up doorway and three small, unevenly spaced windows at ground floor, with two larger windows at first floor.

The east elevation of the main circular hall presents an unbroken curve, with ten very large window openings at ground-floor level and ten slightly squatter openings above at first-floor level, all boarded up. Two of the ground-floor openings appear to have functioned as large door screens, as they extend to ground level. A terrace or walkway, enclosed by a short rendered wall, runs the full length of this elevation. Because the ground drops to the north, the terrace becomes a raised platform of over 1.5 metres in height, accessed from the north-east by a broad flight of steps. The west elevation of the hall presents a shorter, shallower curve with six large windows set at an intermediate level, and a broad doorway to the far left and far right at ground-floor level.

The stage and service block to the south is considerably larger in scale than the entrance section to the north, consisting of two-storey and three-storey elements, the three-storey portion matching the height of the hall itself. The two-storey section projects from the south side of the taller block. Due to rising ground on this side, the ground floor of the two-storey block sits slightly below the surrounding ground level, so the boarded-up doorway to the far left of its south face is reached by a flight of steps with rendered flanking walls. To the right of this, at ground-floor level, are three relatively small windows. At the centre of the first floor is another doorway — reached via a flight of steps rising from west to east — with two relatively small windows on either side. Both the east and west faces of this block each have two windows per floor, those at ground floor being smaller. The south face of the three-storey block is only exposed at second-floor level, where a central doorway is flanked by pilaster-like piers. To both the east and west faces there are two-storey flat-roofed bays: the eastern bay has a large first-floor window and a much smaller ground-floor window, while the western bay has one large window at first-floor level.

The building was constructed as a concert and dance venue with café facilities. The land on which it stands had previously belonged to the Belfast Street Tramway Company in the early 1900s and was later transferred to Belfast Corporation when the Corporation acquired the company. The Corporation developed the site as a pleasure ground and playground — Bellevue Gardens — at the terminus of the tram line, to encourage custom and provide a recreational destination. During the 1920s and 1930s, Bellevue was a popular location for day excursions. In 1933 it was decided to establish a representative zoological collection on the site, and in 1934 twelve acres on either side of the Grand Floral Staircase were laid out as Bellevue Zoo. The Floral Hall followed two years later, situated just to the south of the zoo itself.

The hall originally boasted a spacious stage, seating for up to 1,000 people, and a striking interior colour scheme dominated by blue, gold and tangerine. It remained in regular use as a ballroom and concert venue during the Second World War, with blackouts fitted to the windows to allow dances to continue, and retained its popularity in the post-war years, attracting up to 130,000 visitors in 1947. During the 1950s and 1960s it became a regular venue for showbands and, on occasion, more groundbreaking acts — the original Pink Floyd line-up performed there in April 1967. Roller skating was introduced to the hall in 1965. With the outbreak of the Troubles in 1969, audiences declined and the hall was closed in April 1972. It was used as a counting centre for the Northern Ireland Border Poll in 1973, and occasional dances were held there in the mid-1970s, but the building has largely remained closed to the public. In more recent years it has been used occasionally as a store by the zoo, which has expanded to occupy the land surrounding the hall.

At the time of listing, the building was largely disused and in poor repair, with all windows boarded and the fabric showing signs of deterioration. The lettering to the front parapet and certain other alterations were noted as detracting from the building's character.