An iconic Ayr building is to be sold at auction ahead of the 90th anniversary of its opening.
The Playhouse, Ayr — most recognisable today as the town’s popular Mecca Bingo — has a guide price of £375,000 and is one of the last and best surviving buildings by architect John Fairweather.
The building, on 4 Boswell Park, was originally established in 1911 as the Boswell Park Roller Skating Rink.
It was converted by George Green in 1914 into a 2,000 seat Boswell Park Pavilion Cinema, which was demolished after World War I.
A new cinema, named the Playhouse, was built for George Green in 1923 by John Fairweather with a seating capacity of 1,700, before being burnt down.
John Fairweather then designed The Ayr Playhouse which stands to this day.
It opened on July 8, 1931 and with 3,104 seats was the third-largest cinema to be built in Scotland. The only other cinema of this scale to survive in Scotland is Fairweather’s Edinburgh Playhouse.
The Category B heritable leisure investment is now occupied by Mecca Bingo ltd on an extended lease until 2026.
The 35,187 sq ft building sits on a site area of 0.357 acres and produces a current annual rent of £166,498.
The property has been a bingo hall for the last 20 years, providing a reception area, gaming hall and ancillary and office accommodation over ground and first floors.
It is positioned adjacent to Ayr’s bus station, operated by Stagecoach West Scotland.
Other neighbouring occupiers include Cooperative Food and The West Kirk, a JD Wetherspoon public house.
The auction, which takes place on Wednesday, June 16, will be broadcast online from Acuitus.co.uk.
Mhairi Archibald, of Acuitus, said: “This is an extremely rare find. Fairweather’s Playhouse designs are renowned across Scotland.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own one of the last remaining buildings.”
Interested buyers can submit bids by telephone, online or submit a bid by proxy.
For more details, click here.
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