Here’s yet more proof that Aberdeen does have Art Deco influenced buildings.

Among its claims to fame are a floor sprung on steel springs and that the Beatles played the final gig of their 1963 Scotland tour there.

This link shows a close up of the nice detailing above the doorway.

There’s a more general view here and a nice panorama plus some interior views at Scottish Cinemas.

This one is from a distance inland.

I got the following months ago from Aberdeen City Council website. I haven’t corrected the grammar in its second sentence:-

‘The building presents a low elevation to the promenade but, on entering, the visitor descends the main staircase from which the full height and space of the domed octagonal ballroom can be appreciated. The interior reflect the glamour and Art Deco style of the 1930s whilst the sprung floor of Canadian pine, enjoyed by generations of Aberdeen dancers is still intact. The extension on the seaside of the building was designed by the City Architects Department in the early 1960s.’

Their site has been updated but there’s still an orthographic error on the new page about the ballroom.

I was meaning to put up some more examples of Art Deco from Glasgow but haven’t been able to find blog friendly photographs of them on the net so they’ll need to wait till I get across to the West to take pictures of them myself.

In the meantime I recently read someone saying that Aberdeen didn’t have any Art Deco buildings.
Obviously they had never been inside the Bon Accord Baths.
And this hotel looks pretty Deco to me. Reminiscent of Rothesay Pavilion in its circular sweep.

Also something like an ocean liner which all good Art Deco buildings should be.

I was browsing the www last night and I discovered that Aberdeen City Council has recently closed these baths apparently not long after refurbishing them.

To see how sad a loss this could be just feast your eyes on these pictures. This is such a wonderful Art Deco interior. This is simply how a baths ought to be. When I first saw the photographs I was stunned.

It is a pity that the facilities are no longer cost effective. It seems each visitor to the baths was effectively subsidised to the tune of £11 a visit!

In these cash straitened times I suppose Aberdeen council has to make cuts somewhere but surely this interior deserves preserving and cherishing.

There is a link – which I can’t seem to follow – to a petition against the closure and also a statement that these baths had the only diving boards in Aberdeen!

I realise the upkeep is a severe strain on the public purse and people want more modern facilities, flumes etc, but I don’t think beautiful is too strong a word to describe what can be seen here. Magnificent even.

Is there not a way the Bon Accord Baths can be taken over by some preservation trust?