The New Picture House, 117 North Street

The New Picture House, located at 117 North Street, was designed by Gillespie and Scott in 1931, with minor alterations made by the same firm in 1936 and 1960. This unusual small cinema, which has three screens as of 2007, retains much of its original interior decorative detail, including watercolour panels by local artist Ada Walker. The building features a modern bow-fronted auditorium and an inner foyer that incorporates Art Deco elements, all set beneath a Classical arcaded loggia that projects from the East Neuk vernacular façade. The exterior is characterized by a red pantiled crowstepped gable and a low swept roof bay, integrated into an earlier terrace. The materials used include harl, dry-dash, and red brick with ashlar dressings, and the street elevation has keystoned round-headed openings.

The principal elevation faces north and includes a loggia that extends over the footpath, featuring a deep-set doorway with three 2-leaf part-glazed redwood doors and a large round-headed bipartite window in the gable above. To the left, there is a small single-storey wing with an altered shop front and a pend entrance. Flanking the slightly lower three-stage semicircular tower, which is only partially visible from the street, are two tall square-plan towers. The tower features a tall stair window and horizontal band courses that connect the long foyer to the rectangular-plan auditorium.

Inside, the auditorium showcases a good original classical decorative scheme, complete with a vaulted ceiling, decorative plasterwork featuring delicate swags, and fine watercolours depicting local scenes. The proscenium arch is adorned with cartouche lettering that reads 'NPH', and the balcony has been enlarged. The long outer foyer now includes an island paybox and Doric columns that lead to a circular inner foyer. The building features largely multi-pane glazing patterns in timber and metal windows, with red clay pantiles on the street elevations.