Leisure Centre And Ballroom, Esplanade, Aberdeen

The leisure centre and ballroom, located on the Esplanade in Aberdeen, was designed by Thomas Roberts and Hume of Bathgate and built in 1926. The Star Ballroom was likely designed by George Keith, the City Architect, between 1961 and 1963 and the building was renovated in the 1970s. It is an unusual Art Deco building, consisting of a large, single-storey structure with a raised basement, featuring an octagonal ballroom with a set-back, pantiled, vernacular pyramidal roof topped by an arcaded lantern, and three projecting, flat-roofed single-storey wings. The main entrance faces south, with a bowed bay on the south-east and the Northern Lights Suite below the later Star Ballroom on the east. The building sits prominently on the Esplanade, overlooking Aberdeen Bay.

The construction combines brick and stone with buff faience cladding, and harling with raised margins on less prominent elevations. A deep granite base course contrasts with the upper walls, and a mutuled eaves cornice and stepped blocking course rises into a block pediment above the ionic columned doorpieces. The detailing includes stylised, ionic-capped pilasters and architraved, keystoned windows. The nine-bay south wing features a pediment above the central doorpiece, bearing the inscription 'THE BEACH', and steps lead to a recessed two-leaf multi-paned door with a decorative fanlight. The five-bay south-east wing angles to the right, featuring three large, wide-centre tripartite windows in the bowed bays, flanked by single set-back windows. The eight-bay east wing has a slightly set-back pedimented doorpiece to the right, and a distinctive stepped roofline characteristic of the later, full-width glass and timber Star Ballroom above.

The interior retains much original detail, including plain cornicing, original two-leaf, glazed and panelled swing doors, panelled dadoes, cast iron radiators, and cast iron coat racks and hooks in the cloakrooms. There are several distinctive Art Deco style dog-leg staircases. The ballroom has a sprung timber floor, which has been altered, and a domed ceiling that is now enclosed. The dome is supported by ribs springing from giant order paired, fluted ionic pilasters supporting a mutuled entablature. A ground floor promenade runs below a gallery, featuring decorative plasterwork friezes that give way to a plain railing punctuated by bellflower and paterae detail. Additionally, there is a stage to the northwest and a crush hall entrance to the south.

Multi-pane glazing patterns are found throughout the building. Most of the original metal-framed top-hopper opening windows remain on the sides and rear, while the principal elevations have replacement timber-framed windows. The roof is covered in red pantiles. The building also features cast iron downpipes with decorative rainwater hoppers.