Rusack's Hotel, Pilmour Links, St Andrews

Rusack's Hotel, Pilmour Links, St Andrews

Rusack's Hotel is a large hotel building in Free Northern European Renaissance style, occupying a double feu stretching from Pilmour Links to The Links. The building was constructed in phases: the central section and north block on The Links were designed by David Henry in 1887, the front block on Pilmour Links was built to his designs in 1891–92, John Milne contributed work on the Pilmour Links elevation in 1901, and David Henry carried out further additions in 1911.

The hotel rises 4 storeys with attic and basement levels. The principal facades are dressed in ashlar, with stugged and squared rubble to the flanks. A deep channelled base course sits above the basement, moulded dividing courses run horizontally across the elevation, and the eaves are marked by a cornice with blocking course and ball-finialled dies. Openings are finished with segmental heads and keystones to the porch, architraved detail to the principal elevation, bracketed cills to the first and third floors, and scalloped aprons to the second floor windows. Stone transoms and mullions subdivide the windows throughout.

The principal south elevation displays 7 bays, with the 3 centre bays slightly recessed. The ground floor is notably tall, dominated by a central porch with deep plinths supporting paired Corinthian-capitalled pilasters. Between these pilasters stands a 2-leaf timber door beneath a segmental fanlight, alongside a 3-light arcaded window. The porch carries a frieze bearing applied letters spelling 'RUSACKS HOTEL' and terminates in a cavetto cornice and small stone balustrade. Tall windows with identical detailing sit to each return of the porch. The flanking bays contain 2-light transomed windows abutting the porch, while the outer bays feature broad 6-light transomed and mullioned windows. The floors above maintain regular fenestration that diminishes in height with each rising storey. The attic floor comprises 3 bays: the centre bays are spanned by a pilastered tripartite window arrangement with a deep pilastered frieze, a carved cartouche dated 1892 and initialled 'WR', and a blind pediment above. The outer bays of the attic are lit by pedimented bipartite stone dormer windows, all linked by a deep corniced blocking course.

The north elevation facing The Links rises 3 storeys with attic and basement, arranged in 5 bays. Three centre ground floor bays are sheltered by a later conservatory canted out over a projecting basement; 3 windows light each floor above. The full-height canted outer bays feature tripartite windows to each floor, diminishing in size as they rise. The attic floor is lit by 3 pedimented windows breaking through the eaves at the centre, with tripartite windows and ironwork balustrades to the outer bays below. Dominant shaped gables crown each outer bay, each gable carrying a pedimented bipartite window beneath a further segmental pediment.

The west elevation is largely symmetrical, comprising 5 distinct blocks. Elements include a broad flat-roofed sun-room with arcaded glazing to the ground floor at the centre and left, and a part-blocked stair window to the left of a recessed face above. The outer right block, fronting Pilmour Links, features a canted window with decorative ironwork to the first, second and third floors of its left angle, topped by delicate brattishing.

All porch glazing and stair window glazing is decoratively astragalled with coloured glass. Plate glass fills the casement and timber sash-and-case windows elsewhere, some retaining small-paned upper sashes. The roof is covered in grey slates. Chimney stacks are coped in ashlar and squared rubble, some finished with cans, and display coped skews. Cast-iron downpipes fitted with decorative rainwater hoppers drain the roofs.

The interior retains some decorative plasterwork cornicing and panelled soffits. The ground floor features 'marbled' columns, stylised Ionic pilasters, a carved timber fire surround with marble slips and engaged columns bearing heavily decorated consoles. A scale-and-platt staircase with decorative cast-iron balusters and timber handrail rises through the building. Other areas have been largely modernised, though cast-iron fireplaces survive in some bedrooms.

Rubble boundary walls to the east are punctuated by columnar ashlar piers finished with Corinthian capitals.