The oldest part of the complex, the Albert Memorial Hall, was commissioned by a local brewer, Alexander Gordon, to commemorate the life of
Albert, Prince Consort. The site he selected was immediately opposite
Ballater railway station where Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort had frequently alighted from the
Royal train on their frequent visits to
Balmoral Castle. The building was designed by W. Duguid & Son in the
neoclassical style, built in
granite and was completed in 1876. The design involved an asymmetrical main frontage of four bays facing onto Station Square. The building was fenestrated with
sash windows on both floors and, between the floors, there was a
frieze inscribed with the words "Albert Memorial Hall." At the southwest corner there was an additional
canted bay featuring a doorway flanked by
brackets supporting a
balcony; on the first floor, there was a French door flanked by
pilasters supporting a panel inscribed with the words "This hall is erected to the memory of the Prince Consort Born 26th August 1817 Died 14th December 1861." A four-stage
crenelated tower was erected to southeast corner of the hall: there was a doorway in the first stage, a sash window in the second stage, a
niche in the third stage and a pair of sash windows in the fourth stage. Following significant population growth, largely associated with the tourism industry, Ballater became a
police burgh in 1891. In this context, the new burgh leaders decided to extend the complex to form a courtyard. Again, the cost of the development was financed by a gift from Alexander Gordon. The left-hand side of the courtyard was to be formed by Albert Memorial Hall; the back of the courtyard was to be formed by a new Gordon Institute and the right-hand side was to be formed by a new Victoria Hall. The foundation stone for the new buildings was laid by Lieutenant-Colonel
Alexander Haldane Farquharson, the 14th Lord of Invercauld on 20 June 1895. The new buildings were designed by W. Duguid & Son, built in granite at a cost of £2,000 and were officially opened by Colonel Thomas Innes of Learney on 26 February 1896. The design of the Gordon Institute involved five bays facing onto the courtyard. The central bay, which slightly projected forward, featured a doorway flanked by brackets supporting a
cornice; there was a sash window on the first floor and a gable above containing a plaque recording the gift from Alexander Gordon. The outer bays were fenestrated by sash windows on the ground floor and by windows with
dormer heads on the first floor. Internally, the principal rooms were a reading room and a library on the ground floor and a committee room for the use of the burgh council on the first floor. The committee room continued to serve as the meeting place of the burgh council for much of the 20th century, but ceased to be the local seat of government when the enlarged
Kincardine and Deeside District Council was formed in 1975. After the introduction of
unitary authorities in 1996, it became a meeting place of the Marr Area Committee of
Aberdeenshire Council. Following extensive refurbishment work, a new Ballater Community and Heritage Hub was opened by the
Duke and
Duchess of Rothesay in the complex on 31 August 2021. ==See also==