Marischal College

Marischal College
Panoramic of the building following restoration
Map
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeCivic Building
Architectural styleGothic Revival architecture
AddressBroad Street, Aberdeen, AB10 1AB
Town or cityAberdeen
CountryScotland
Current tenantsAberdeen City Council
University of Aberdeen
Construction started1837
Renovated2011
ClientAberdeen City Council
OwnerUniversity of Aberdeen
LandlordUniversity of Aberdeen
Technical details
Floor count5
Floor area188,400 sq ft (17,500 m2)
Lifts/elevators6
Design and construction
Architect(s)Archibald Simpson (1837–44)
Robert Mathieson (1873)
W W Robertson (1888–89)
Alexander Marshall Mackenzie(1893–1906)
Renovating team
Architect(s)Holmes Partnership (2009–2011)
Renovating firmSafe Dem
Sir Robert McAlpine
Laing Traditional Masonry[1]
Structural engineerArup Scotland
Services engineerWallace Whittle
Listed Building – Category A
Designated12 January 1967
Reference no.LB20096
Marischal College from the rear, showing Mitchell Tower and Mitchell Hall
Detail of ornately carved granite pinnacles on the facade of Marischal College, following restoration

Marischal College (/ˈmɑːrʃl/ MAR-shəl)[2] is a large granite building on Broad Street in the centre of Aberdeen in north-east Scotland, and since 2011 has been the headquarters of Aberdeen City Council. The building was constructed for and is on long-term lease from the University of Aberdeen, which still uses parts of the building to store its museum collections. Today, it provides corporate office space and public access to council services, adjacent to the Town House, the city's historic seat of local government. It is the second largest granite building in the world.[3]

The construction of the modern college building began in 1835, following the demolition of previous buildings on the site, and was completed in its present form in the early 1900s.[4] Formerly the seat of the Marischal College and University of Aberdeen founded in 1593, the building was retained by the unified University of Aberdeen, which was created in 1860 by the merger of Marischal College and King's College. The buildings of Marischal College continued to be used for academic purposes until the mid-20th century and less and less until the early 2000s. During this period they were frequently rebuilt and expanded upon.

In the mid-to-late 20th century, teaching and academic activities at the university began to move to King's College or Foresterhill (for students of medicine) and by the early 21st century a new purpose for Marischal College was required. After a number of unsuccessful proposals, the majority of the building was leased to Aberdeen City Council to be restored and refurbished as office accommodation. The extensive renovation was completed on schedule and significantly under budget and the building opened to the public in June 2011.[5] The university has retained the Mitchell Hall and a number of other significant parts of the building for its own use, in addition to its museum stores (formerly the Marischal Museum).

  1. ^ "Laing Traditional Masonry" (JPG). Marischal College – Aberdeen City. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
  2. ^ Pointon, Graham, ed. (1990). BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of British Names (2nd ed.). Oxford: The University Press. ISBN 0-19-282745-6.
  3. ^ How we built Britain by David Dimbleby
  4. ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Broad Street, Marischal College (Category A Listed Building) (LB20096)". Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  5. ^ "Council moves into Marischal College". BBC News. 21 June 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2014.