78 Portland Street, Kilmarnock

This is a mid-19th century, three-storey former hotel building situated on a corner site in Kilmarnock. The building faces Portland Street and West George Street, with seven bays along Portland Street, a curved angle bay to the southeast, and four bays along West George Street. The architecture is classical in style.

The principal, east-facing elevation features five central bays with a modern shop front at ground level. Above, the bays are flanked by giant Ionic pilasters that support a cornice and panelled parapet, topped with a miniature pediment over the central bay, with fan-shaped detailing at the terminals and apex. The ground floor to the left and right flanks also have modern shop fronts. The first and second floors have windows; the first-floor windows are taller than those on the second floor. Polished yellow sandstone ashlar is used for the principal elevations, while coursed rubble is present on the north side.

The southeast elevation has a slightly recessed arched bay. The ground floor incorporates paired, semi-canted shop windows within a modern front, surmounted by a cornice. A tall window is on the first floor, and a smaller window is on the second floor. A low parapet is topped by a round Roman numeral clock within a raised triangular pediment with pilastered and scrolled brackets.

The south elevation features a modern shop front with a large window to the left and a narrower window with a door to the right, displaying the name “MASON MURPHY” in large plastic lettering. The first floor has four tall windows, with the bay to the right now blind. The second floor has four matching smaller bays, with the outer bays also blind. A cornice and low parapet top the elevation.

The west, or rear, elevation adjoins the higher side elevation of a building on West George Street. The north elevation is largely blind, with a small window at first-floor level and adjoining a single-storey, gable-ended building at ground floor.

Large plate glass windows are present in the shop front, and three modern timber doors with glazed panels are irregularly placed at ground floor. Essentially two-pane sash and case windows are found on the first floor, with smaller, opaque panes in the lower sashes and coloured glass in a patterned inset to the upper sashes. The second-floor windows are two-pane sash and case with plain glass and smaller sliding upper sashes. The roof is piended and covered with grey slate, with aluminum ridging, flashing, and valleys. Cast-iron rainwater goods are concealed behind the parapet, with downpipes at the angle of the arched bay and on the north elevation. A central fan-headed cap on the principal elevation formerly marked a stack with a single tall can, but it is now unused.

The ground and first floors are currently semi open-plan, modern shop floors. The upper level was not inspected in 2001.