North Tay Centre, Loon's Road

The North Tay Centre, on Loon’s Road, is a rare survival of Art Deco architecture, dating from 1937-38, with a later extension built in the early 1950s. Originally constructed as an office block for McGregor and Balfour Limited, a timber merchant, it comprises a two-storey, seven-bay, rectangular building fronting a more functional block of the 1950s. The design emphasizes horizontality with base, cill, lintel, and blocking courses using contrasting green tile, harl, and concrete banding. A cantilevered canopy shelters the main entrance. The building features metal and Crittal windows, and retains a high-quality interior scheme.

A two-storey, rectangular-plan store and office links to the rear, with a full-height bowed southwest angle and glass brick openings at ground floor level, as well as a ribbon window effect on the first floor. The rear block is faced in harl with a banded first-floor cill course and blocking course.

The principal southeast elevation is symmetrical, with terrazzo steps leading to a canopied entrance doorway. This incorporates bowed windows, a tile-banded doorpiece, and a deep-set, horizontally-panelled, two-leaf timber door. A large tripartite stair window is located to the northeast. The rear block displays four glass brick openings on the northwest side and in the bowed angle.

Window glazing patterns are multi-pane, with wide centre tripartite arrangements on the southeast side, four bowed horizontal panes flanking the entrance, and a decorative 12-pane pattern to the fixed timber stair window. More modern windows are present on the first floor of the rear block. Decorative cast iron downpipes and rainwater hoppers are also present.

The interior retains a good decorative scheme, including high-quality timberwork and panelling in two ground-floor front rooms and on the first floor right. Dark wood panelling remains in the entrance foyer and ground-floor passages despite a modern wall covering. The spaces feature plain moulded plasterwork cornices. Each ground floor office has squared panelling incorporating a desk and shelving, along with a rustic brick fireplace. A dog-leg staircase has brass handrails. The large first-floor board room retains period detailing that includes vertical ripple plane tree panelling, a dogtooth cornice at picture rail height, a timber fire surround and overmantel, original light fittings, a clock, and radiator housings. Strong rooms are located on each floor, identified by makers plates indicating they were made by 'RELIANCE DOOR', by John Tann of Newgate Street, London. The rear block contains larger, plainer spaces.