St Andrews House Edinburgh, Calton Hill Building Photos, Architect, Date, Picture
St Andrew’s House Edinburgh
Scottish Building design by Thomas S Tait & Sir John Burnet, Tait and Lorne Architects
post updated 2 January 2022
26 July 2019
St Andrew’s House Restoration News
Ongoing restoration of St Andrew’s House in the heart of the capital.
Dates built: 1934 to 39
Design: Thomas S Tait & Sir John Burnet, Tait and Lorne
26 Nov 2016 – new photos around the Calton Hill area by Adrian Welch:
photo © Adrian Welch
St. Andrew’s House Edinburgh
St Andrew’s House architect – Thomas Tait
St Andrew’s House, 1934-39: inter-war architecture competition win – monolithic, symmetrical and sober from the front, romantically irregular from the South – note the curved glass stair towers reminiscent of the Fagus Shoe Last Factory by Gropius & Meyer. This building was the Scottish Office, the UK government’s administrative offices in Scotland.
photos © Adrian Welch
Thomas S Tait (1882-1952) of Sir John Burnet, Tait and Lorne, was Scotland’s foremost inter-war architect. He designed many buildings in London, such as Adelaide House on the Thames, as well as the strongly futuristic Glasgow Empire Exhibition Tower.
photos © Adrian Welch
The St Andrew’s House frontage is influenced by Grey Wornuim’s severe Art Deco verticality RIBA HQ (1934) on Portland Place, London. Edinburgh National Library building (Dr Reginald Fairlie, 1934-55) on George IV Bridge also picks up on this rigid vertical ordering in stone.
The building was refurbished between 2000 tand2002 by Reiach and Hall Architects. Adjacent buildings can be located off the Calton Hill tour.
photographs © Adrian Welch
There is a strong Client link between this building and the new Scottish Parliament which is nearby. Sir John Burnet also worked on Burtons Edinburgh, Princes St.
photos © Adrian Welch
Architect Thomas S Tait is listed on the Scottish Architects post.
Some departments from this property migrated to the Scottish Executive Building upon its completion, located at Commercial Quay on the harbourfront in central Leith.
The architect for the building was Thomas S Tait’s mentor : Sir John Burnet
Comments / photos for the St Andrew’s House Edinburgh Architecture page welcome
