King's Theatre, 27 Cowgate, Dundee

The King's Theatre, located at 27 Cowgate, Dundee, was designed by Frank Thomson and built in 1908. It is a large theatre constructed of red ashlar, with a three-storey front elevation. The east elevation is stepped and displays an American style of architectural detailing. A band course encircles the ground floor.

The front elevation to Cowgate is three storeys high and eleven bays wide. The ground floor features channelled ashlar for the foyer and shops, though the fronts have been altered. A canopy, altered circa 1950, is present. Square mezzanine windows are situated above the ground floor, followed by large, chamfered first-floor windows with aprons, arranged singly and in groups of three. A mutule cornice and parapet top the elevation. A recessed, chamfered angle on the right includes a segmental arched doorway, an wrought-iron balcony above, and windows similar to those on the north elevation.

The elevation to St Andrews Street comprises two bays in a similar style, with a long, blank section of walling to the left. The ground floor has plain ashlar with a suspended canopy for queuing. A semi-domed, open metal neon-light fitting is present. The elevation features a cornice and parapet, with a raised block at the centre. Three bays to the left are stepped to accommodate the sloping ground. The walling is channelled ashlar below the band course and banded ashlar above. There are four tiers of tripartite windows over bipartites, with the first and second floors linked by vertical recesses. A band course sits above the third floor, with low, shouldered windows on the fourth floor. A mutule cornice tops the elevation.

The south elevation is constructed of rubble, while the west elevation is built with brick.

Windows on the Cowgate elevation include a casement window at the mezzanine level with a 12-pane glazing pattern. Second floor windows are sash and case with a 18-pane glazing pattern. Small, fixed-pane windows are present on the south side. The roofs are piended and covered in slate.

Internally, the foyer and auditorium stalls and proscenium have been significantly altered, though some good plasterwork survives. The theatre features two balconies. A domed plaster ceiling, suspended from a steel roof and originally decorated with fine plasterwork by Mr Ward, is now partially concealed by a false ceiling. The original staircase leading to the circle retains good stained glass and plasterwork. A well-preserved section beneath the stalls includes a marble staircase and terrazzo flooring, leading to a former cafe/bar with Tuscan columns. A corridor is lined with Ionic pilasters and intricate plaster festoons and swags, and features a scroll-pedimented sopraporte with female heads.

The Continental Ballroom/King's Billard Room, accessed from No 21 Cowgate, has similar plasterwork to the barrel-vaulted, top-lit ceiling.