Description
Gabriel Andrew of Andrew & Newlands, 1903. Built for Messrs Smith Bros. 3-storey and attic, 2 and 3-bay Flemish Renaissance corner building with canted entrance on angle. Dressed red Ballochmyle ashlar with polished granite base course. Band courses forming sills of floor above. High moulded parapet with decorative piercings and gables.
SW (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: pilastered arched door surround with projecting keystone, later door with arched single-pane fanlight surmounting; to flanks of door: recessed niche linked to surmounting blind roundel by projecting keystone, pilasters to flanks supporting corbelled bay window to upper storeys; paired band course splits storeys. To 1st floor: 4-light bracketed bay window comprising bipartite with stone mullion to centre and pilastered canted outer lights; giant brackets support 2nd floor canted balcony with semi-circular pierced detail, arched central window, canted arched lights to flanks. Deep moulded cornice leading to high parapet, shaped wallhead with central Diocletian window, broken pediment surmounting with central shaft terminating in finial.
S ELEVATION: essentially 3-bay: later shop window to ground floor left, tripartite windows to centre and right divided by stone transoms to upper lights; projecting sill course to 1st floor, single window to left, tripartite window to centre and right, 2nd floor as 1st floor; high curved parapet to centre and right with pierced paired semi-circular decorations, lowered wallhead chimney to left within shaped gable, semi-circular decoration to flanks.
W ELEVATION: to left: later double fronted shop with smaller lights to top of plate glass windows, central inset doorway with plate glass side lights; slightly altered architraved doorway and multi-light fanlight to right of shop; further plate glass shop window to far right. Essentially 2-bay to identical 1st and 2nd storeys: tripartite window with pilastered margins to right, 4-light bracketed bay window to left comprising bipartite with stone mullion to centre and curved outer lights, paired band course splits storeys; deep moulded cornice leading to high parapet, arched above right bay with 5 pierced semi-circular details to flanks; to left parapet continues into broken pedimented wallhead gable, paired arched windows divided by long stone shaft, band courses clasping shaft, single semi-circular decorative piercing to left of wallhead.
N & E (REAR) ELEVATIONS: blind yellow stock brick gable to N with lowered red brick stack to gablehead, traces of now blind arched window to right. To E originally U-plan but now abutted by later 2 ?-storey building.
Replacement 2-pane PVCu windows to 1st and 2nd floors. Later plate glass shop windows to ground floor, 6-pane upper lights to W elevation shop. Steeply pitched piended grey slate roof with aluminium ridging and valleys. Cast-iron 2-pane Carron lights to attic storey. Painted cast-iron rainwater goods, gutters concealed behind high parapet. Red brick gablehead stacks: lowered to N, single terracotta can to E, paired cans to taller rear re-entrant angle stack.
INTERIOR: very fine Art Nouveau tiling to shared ground floor close: mosaic floor with fruit and stalk border and apples to main runner. Aquamarine glazed long and short tiles to walls, ribbed dado and base tiles, green and aquamarine paired tiles forming flora to upper wall; tiled apple border to hall, stairs and landing. Ornate cast-iron balustrade to stair.
Statement of Special Interest
Part of B-Group with Laigh Kirk, Kirkyard and Bank Street. The street is one of the older parts of the town. Although developed in the 18th century from the Kirkhaugh, retail and residential buildings occurred primarily from the mid-19th century. No 58 - 60 is built on a prominent site at the corners of Bank and Nelson Streets. The monumental building forms found in John Finnie Street inspire it, a few of which Gabriel Andrew had a hand in. Andrew was part of a successful local architectural partnership with William Newlands, based at 84 Portland Street. Andrew was a well-established architect with many commercial commissions under his belt, including the Whisky Bonds and office complex for Johnnie Walker in Strand Street. He designed many on the other buildings in this street, including 37, 36 - 40 and 43, mostly in 1902. Andrew and Newlands moved their practice office into 37 Bank Street in 1904. The interior close of this building has very fine Art Nouveau detailing which has remained remarkably intact. The mosaic flooring matches the tile colouring, whilst the newel post and balusters of the stairway are wrought-iron to match the floreate details of the tiling. Originally this building was built for the Smith Brothers who were stationers, and the slightly later building adjacent was a print works. Between the two was a glazed link, now removed and in-filled with a much later structure. The building remains a good example of a Gabriel Andrew commercial building.