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Summary

Description

Alan Reiach, Eric Hall & Partners, 1966-9. 5-storey and basement club with shops at ground below 1st floor walkway, and 7-storey accommodation tower to rear. In-situ reinforced concrete, with plate glass and Rubislaw granite facings to front, brick and concrete panels to sides and rear. 3 single unit and 1 double unit shops at ground; to centre left broad recessed doorway to club. Standard cantilevered Princes Street walkway with viewing strip. Deeply recessed entrance to club at No 86. At 1st floor, recessed bay above entrance, flanked by plate glass. 2nd and 3rd floors retain wall plane above entrance and to far right, with cantilevered blocks to left (small) and centre (large); full height plate glass fenestration to each floor, divided horizontally and vertically by granite mullions; spacing very carefully and symmetrically handled, larger proportion of glass to stone at 2nd floor reversing at 3rd; mullions project with glazed corners at 2nd floor. 4th floor set right back to create balcony, with partly cantilevered open cornice providing shelter.

Anodised aluminium window frames. Flat roof.

INTERIOR: stair with half landings rises through dark space, lit from front balcony, to 2nd floor club. Interconnecting reception rooms at front, with plain panelling. Internal stair rises off central galleried top-lit 3-storey hall. Members Dining Room incorporates Lorimer's Baroque panelling from former building, but without entablature, and with artificial top lighting. Much of the original furniture from the earlier buildings has been retained. Swimming pool and terrace on top floor. Car park in basement.

Statement of Special Interest

Consulting engineers were Blyth and Blyth, and the contractors were Robert McAlpine & Sons. In 1958 the Princes Street Panel, taking heed of suggestions going back to the 1930s, instigated a policy of introducing 1st floor walkways to all new buildings on Princes Street, with the ultimate intention of creating a continuous 2nd street. The New Club is the finest building incorporating this feature, perfectly illustrated by its slightly later continuation to the E. Reiach's building replaces that of William Burn, 1834, with later matching extension by David Bryce, 1859. It is very carefully composed, a typical feature being the definition of the beginning of the club by the cantilever at 2nd floor, and can be seen as a response to Rowand Anderson, Kininmonth and Paul's Scottish Provident office at 6 St Andrew's Square (see separate listing), or even Denys Lasdun's Royal College of Physicians, London. An urn from the parapet of Burn's building is displayed inside the club.

References

Bibliography

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