He took a lease of Her Majesty`s Opera House, Aberdeen [2] (later named the Tivoli) in Guild Street from 1891 and started to look for a site to build one according to his own specifications.

James Donald refurbished the venue and introduced features such as external neon lighting, a cinema projector and a revolving stage.

[11] Construction of the extension began in August 2003, with the theatre closing completely in March 2004 to allow refurbishment works of the existing part of the building.

[10] The extension is a five-storey triangular structure built on the car park to the east of the existing building, with three storeys below the level of Rosemount Viaduct.

[10] Accommodated within the extension are new front-of-house facilities, including a box office, restaurant, coffee shop and corporate hospitality area.

[13][10] The Scottish Executive featured the project as a case study in its 2007 policy document on architecture, describing it as a "thoughtful integration of the old and new" with the improved facilities and comfort conditions considered to significantly increase the theatre's attractiveness as a venue for theatregoers and performers alike.

The case study concluded "This is an excellent example of public architecture carried out by the City Council’s in-house team.

It features a copper domed tower at its eastern end and a reinforced concrete statue of Tragedy and Comedy at the top of the main facade.

Historic Environment Scotland describe the building as having a "remarkable finely detailed Free Renaissance style" with a "spacious well preserved interior, handsomely treated throughout in mixed baroque and neo-Jacobean strapwork decoration, much alabaster and marble".