Mecca Tivoli Bingo Hall, 52 Gorgie Road, Edinburgh

The Mecca Tivoli Bingo Hall on Gorgie Road, Edinburgh, was built in 1933 by John McKissack and Son, and opened on 1st January 1934. It incorporates elements from a 1913 cinematograph house designed by Menzies, Cockburn and Johnston, with the original west wall retained and a portion of the original façade incorporated, although the full-width pediment was removed. The building’s design is a prominent example of Art Deco style.

The façade is of red ashlar, featuring punched windows and the appearance of corbelled courses above the second floor and in the attic. The rear of the building has been harled.

The south (entrance) elevation presents a near-symmetrical six-bay front, with bays two to four being taller. At ground level, there are three recessed blind display frames to the right, a doorway to the far left which interrupts a bipartite window, and a central window with a large white wooden display board. The first floor has five single windows, the sixth bay being blind; the second floor has windows only in bays two to four, which illuminate corridors. A corbelled course is visible above bays two to four, and an attic window, central to the elevation and lighting the projection house, interrupts this course. The two lower storeys of bays one to three have an applied post and lintel surround, referencing the original façade. A modern MECCA sign and street lamp are attached to the left. The lower entrance bay has modern cream tiles concealing the bases of former giant pilasters, with a tiled canopy and modern entrance doors. Above this, remains of the pilasters, with stylized Aztec capitals, flank a pair of small framed windows, and above that is a large segmental-headed window with moulded cill and raised dressings. A substantial moulded double chevron cresting runs along the wallhead.

All windows have metal casements with original etched and coloured Art Deco glass. The roof is flat or pitched and covered with corrugated iron, possibly asbestos.

The interior is largely intact, having been redecorated and refitted as a bingo hall. Key features include a screen at the south end flanked by stylized Deco columns, original doors in the auditorium with their glazing and surrounds, and a balcony.