Carnegie Hall, East Port, Dunfermline

Carnegie Hall, East Port, Dunfermline

Built by Muirhead and Rutherford between 1933 and 1938, Carnegie Hall is a substantial two-storey building with basement on its south side. It comprises a large rectangular-plan auditorium flanked by corner blocks at both ends, with a single-storey linking passage extending east to the adjacent separately listed Carnegie Music Institute, formerly known as Benachie House. The design follows an austere classical modern aesthetic, articulated through projecting three-bay centrepieces with pilastered upper floors at both the north and south ends. The main structure is built in coursed rockfaced sandstone with polished sandstone ashlar to the principal north elevation and architectural dressings throughout. Base courses and eaves cornices define most elevations, more boldly expressed on the principal elevation. Windows are generally architraved, except those to the lower floor of the corner blocks on the south side, while architraved entrances punctuate all elevations.

The principal north elevation features a raised projecting three-bay centrepiece with a piended roof. Three entrances to the ground floor have moulded architraves and large keystones, each with a two-leaf panelled timber door topped by a rectangular fanlight. The outer flanking sections employ channelled ashlar, while moulded cornices flank and run between the doorways. Above the first floor, a moulded cornice decorated with a Greek key motif crowns the entrance. Matching the ground floor arrangement, the upper floors contain a window with moulded architrave and scrolled apron in each bay, the bays flanked and divided by fluted pilasters. A full entablature with disk motifs to the frieze and deep mutuled eaves cornice completes the composition. Three set-back flanking bays to either side maintain regular fenestration with deep lintels; those to ground floor windows are inset slightly. The central ground floor windows on either side carry heavier architraves and cornices, while the central first floor windows to each side are capped by aprons.

The south elevation presents a projecting three-bay centrepiece incorporated within a slightly raised five-bay block, topped by a raised pediment-like parapet across the flanking outer bays. The basement of the centrepiece contains two windows; those to the flanking bays are set back slightly, all featuring tall keystones and deep slightly inset lintels. The keystones align with a band course running above the basement to the central five bays. The first floor of the three centre bays displays windows with panels beneath, each flanked and divided by fluted pilasters with disk motifs to their capitals. Above runs a frieze incorporating disk motifs and guttae, surmounted by a deep mutuled eaves cornice. The slightly set-back flanking bays show narrow windows with tall keystones and scroll-like aprons, their angles defined by channelled quoins. The lower-height flanking blocks demonstrate slightly irregular fenestration: three bays to the left and two to the right, with an entrance set back to the outer left.

The east elevation displays four large corniced windows to the central auditorium, though these are partly obscured by a late twentieth-century single-storey café extension to the south of the linking passage to the Music Institute. A taller bay with a pediment-like parapet adjoins to the left, featuring a narrow first-floor window with keystone and apron, and a pair of ground floor windows. A lower-height corner block with a piended roof projects to the outer left with irregular fenestration and an entrance. To the right of the auditorium windows sits a lower-height two-storey bay projecting from the main structure; its ground floor opens into the contemporary linking passage to the Music Institute. A taller piend-roofed corner block adjoins further right, with irregular fenestration including a corniced stair window with apron to the upper left and two ground floor windows with deep slightly inset lintels.

The west elevation mirrors the east side, with four large corniced windows with aprons serving the central auditorium. An entrance porch with a deep frieze above its lintel projects to the left, containing a large two-leaf panelled timber door with moulded architrave. Adjacent sits a low irregularly fenestrated bay projecting leftward. A taller piend-roofed corner block adjoins further left, irregularly fenestrated, with a corniced stair window with apron to the upper right and two ground floor windows with deep slightly inset lintels. To the right of the auditorium windows, a piend-roofed corner block projects with a narrow first-floor window bearing apron and keystone, a pair of ground floor windows, and a corniced entrance with frieze to its left return, surmounted by a narrow window with apron and keystone. A lower-height piended-roofed section to the far right features steps in front sloping down to a lower level; it displays irregular fenestration with two upper and two lower windows and a loading door to its left return.

The linking passage adjoins the hall at right angles to the east, comprising a single storey with a four-bay ashlar sandstone elevation to the north, its slightly projecting heavily architraved entrance positioned to the right. It adjoins a late twentieth-century glazed lean-to passage on its left, which was built across an earlier single-storey extension to the Music Institute. The passage is obscured on its south side by a late twentieth-century single-storey cafeteria.

The roofing throughout comprises mainly grey slate in piended form. Windows are predominantly multi-pane timber with top-hung casements; border-glazed metal frames, possibly of copper and brass, appear on the upper floor of the centrepiece to the principal elevation, while some smaller windows feature diamond-pane leaded lights. A wallhead stack with band course stands at the southwest junction with the lower-height flanking block.

The interior retains most of its original fixtures and fittings of classical and Art Deco design. The entrance vestibule features a tiled and inlaid floor, flanked by staircases with timber balustrades. Original timber wainscotting, single and two-leaf timber doors, Art Deco stained glass light shades and decorative plasterwork are distributed throughout. Recessed ceilings with mutuled cornices appear to the vestibule and cloakroom landing above. The principal entrance contains a triple pair of glazed timber doors with rectangular fanlights set within, opening into the main vestibule, which extends behind flanking columns. The auditorium features a shallow segmental-arched ceiling. Decorative corniced architraves to the windows along either side are divided by pilasters supporting an entablature incorporating disk motifs. A sunburst detail crowns the spandrels of the proscenium arch, above which sits a plaster bas-relief in ancient Greek style depicting two musicians and a lyre. A stained glass window of circa 1900 by Louis C Tiffany of New York, originally installed in a side window of the auditorium, has been incorporated into the late twentieth-century cafeteria on the east side. The auditorium seats have been copied and replaced, and the fly towers were replaced in 2000. Original lighting remains in place with the lighting desk intact.

The boundary wall and steps comprise symmetrical double flights of steps ascending from the road to the north of the hall to a central terrace, with a single flight at right angles leading up to the entrance level. Both are constructed in coped coursed rock-faced sandstone. A coped sandstone ashlar parapet fronts onto the road with a balustrade to the central terrace, square-plan piers at either end, and flanking balustrade. Flanking adjacent walls to the north and west of Carnegie Hall and the Music Institute are largely built of coped coursed rockfaced stone.