District Council Offices, John Finnie Street, Kilmarnock

District Council Offices, John Finkie Street, Kilmarnock

This is a substantial Free Renaissance commercial block designed by Gabriel Andrew and built between 1879 and 1880, with an extension added in 1889. The building is constructed in red Ballochmyle sandstone ashlar and comprises a large three-storey building with basement, a notable four-storey domed tower with clock, and multiple wings arranged around the site. It represents a confident exercise in late Victorian commercial architecture with classical detailing.

The principal elevation on John Finnie Street consists of two almost identical three-storey, five-bay blocks linked by bowed angles with full-height rusticated quoins at the corners. The ground floor to the left-hand block has been altered with a modern door and three enlarged bays, whilst the right-hand block retains its original fenestration. The first floor features five windows with stilted heads and alternating triangular and segmental pediments. The second floor has five architraved rectangular windows, each with flanking pilasters supporting a bracket of the cornice, surmounted by a blocking course. The southwest angle features a central door with blind flanking panels supporting a corbelled cornice, and above this a tripartite window with stilted heads beneath a linked triangular-segmental-triangular pediment. The second floor canted tripartite window has panelled mullions. The parapet is semi-balustraded with squared end plinths and stone vases, and the central clock sits under a shell pediment.

The Dunlop Street elevation to the northwest comprises five bays. A timber entrance door with glazed fanlight to the fourth bay has a pilastered surround with decorated frieze and segmental pediment. Bays one to three have later large rectangular windows, and the fifth bay has a later tripartite window. Like the principal elevation, the first floor has five windows with stilted heads and alternating pediments, and the second floor has five architraved rectangular windows with flanking pilasters and supporting brackets. The angle bow is flanked by rusticated quoins and has three later windows with pilaster mullions. An octagonal tower rises behind the angle at third-storey level, distinguished by a scooped parapet and vaulted dome roof with copper cladding.

The Strand Street elevation to the northeast and east is essentially M-plan in arrangement. It comprises a regularly fenestrated central three-storey, two-bay hall with tripartite windows to the upper levels and vehicular entrances at ground floor, together with a three-sided canted end featuring tripartite windows to upper floors. The left side displays the brick gable of the John Dickie Street elevation with a smaller adjoining building to the lower storeys, whilst the right side shows the blind gable end of the Dunlop Street elevation except for a bipartite window to the ground floor left.

The John Dickie Street elevation to the south comprises the original seven-bay building to the left and the thirteen-bay extension to the right. The left section has a paired pilaster doorpiece to the third bay with decorative cornice and triangular pediment. The fenestration has been altered to bays flanking this entrance. Seven first-floor windows have stilted heads with alternating triangular and segmental pediments. The second floor has seven architraved rectangular windows with flanking pilasters and supporting brackets. The third bay is slightly advanced with rusticated quoins and a triangular pediment surmounting the eaves.

The extension to the right has a formal entrance to the eleventh bay, marked by a paired plinthed pilaster doorpiece with a recessed segmental-headed inner doorway and decorative cornice with segmental pediment. Large windows flank the entrance, with further door and window to the left, the ground floor bays largely blind to the left with a much later recessed glazed door and window to the right. The thirteen first-floor windows have stilted heads with alternating triangular and segmental pediments, and the second floor has thirteen architraved rectangular windows with flanking pilasters and supporting brackets. The eleventh bay is slightly advanced with rusticated quoins and an open-base triangular pediment breaking the eaves line, surmounted by a stone vase.

The rear elevation is constructed of white brick with red sandstone dressings, and features a red brick gable. Elaborate stained glass two-light windows to the second floor rear hall are visible from Strand Street.

Throughout the building, upper floors feature two, three and four-pane timber sash and case windows. All upper sashes are horned, and upper sashes to the first floor are arched. Ground floor windows have been replaced with two and three-pane examples. The main building has a piended grey slate roof with metal ridging, flashing and valleys. The northwest angle is topped by a copper domed roof. Various chimney stacks are present, some retaining cans.

The building is now used as council offices. Halls and staircases survive from the original interior arrangement.