2 High Street, Perth

2 High Street is a municipal building in Perth, Scotland. Standing at the corner of High Street and Tay Street, the building is currently the home of offices of Perth and Kinross Council, which also occupies the municipal buildings at 1 Tay Street directly opposite. The building is Category B listed.[1]

2 High Street
The building in 2007
Location2 Tay Street,
Perth
Coordinates56.3967°N 3.4261°W / 56.3967; -3.4261
Built1901 (1901)
ArchitectGeorge Penrose Kennedy Young
Architectural style(s)Renaissance style
Listed Building – Category B
Designated26 August 1977
Reference no.LB39469
2 High Street, Perth is located in Perth
2 High Street, Perth
Shown in Perth

History

The General Accident and Employers' Liability Assurance Association was founded in the city in 1885.[2][3] Shortly after it was founded the directors decided to commission a purpose-built head office: the site they chose was occupied by a post office.[4]

The building was designed in 1899 by George Penrose Kennedy Young in the Renaissance style, built in ashlar stone[1] and was completed in 1901.[5] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with five bays facing onto the High Street with the end bays slightly projected forward; the central bay, which also slightly projected forward, featured an elaborate doorway with Ionic order columns capped by crouching figures supporting a carved entablature and an open pediment with a cartouche in the tympanum. On the ground floor, the bays flanking the central bay were fenestrated by large round headed windows and there were narrow casement windows beyond that. The first floor was fenestrated with square headed windows with keystones and pediments while the second floor was fenestrated by recessed sash windows flanked by short Ionic order columns. At roof level, in the northeast corner there was an aediculed drum surmounted by a dome.[1] Internally, the principal rooms were the general manager's office and the boardrooms which were all panelled with mahogany.[3]

The building was extended along the High Street by ten extra bays to the west in a similar style in 1958.[6] A number of older properties were demolished to facilitate the expansion: in the 19th century that part of the High Street had been occupied by a property which accommodated the Scoon and Perth Freemans' Lodge.[7]

The building was vacated by General Accident when it moved to a new head office at Necessity Brae in Pitheavlis in 1984.[8] Later that year, the building became the headquarters of Perth and Kinross Council when the council moved from the aging Municipal Buildings at Nos. 1, 3 and 5 High Street.[6] Staff also moved from the County Offices in York Place.[9]

No. 2 High Street was extensively refurbished at a cost of £10 million in 2015;[4] the works included the relocation of the council chamber from the top floor to the ground floor,[10] as well provision of an energy-efficient external lighting system.[11][12][13]

Located close to the River Tay, the building suffered severe flooding and was also hit by lightning in August 2020.[14]

  • Looking north along Tay Street
    Looking north along Tay Street
  • A view of the High Street frontage
    A view of the High Street frontage

See also

References
  1. Historic Environment Scotland. "High Street and corner of Tay Street, General Accident Fire and Life Assurance Corporation, World Headquarters (Category B Listed Building) (LB39469)". Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  2. "General Accident Fire & Life Assurance Corporation Ltd". National Archives. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  3. "1899 – General Accident Assurance Co, Perth, Scotland". Archiseek. 31 March 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  4. Historic Environment Scotland. "Perth, 2 High Street, Municipal Buildings (120063)". Canmore. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  5. Official Guide to Perth and Its Neighbourhood by the Tramway Car Routes – Perth Town Council (1907), p. 5
  6. "The Fair City of Perth: Application for City Status" (PDF). Perth and Kinross Council. 5 April 2010. p. 8. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  7. "Ordnance Survey Map". 1863. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  8. Historic Environment Scotland. "Aviva UK Insurance Building (former General Accident Fire and Life Assurance Corporation Headquarters), including landscaped concourse and two metal sculptures to the south, granite sculpture to northwest, excluding power plants to the west, car port and car parking area to the south and former recreation centre to the east, Necessity Brae, Pitheavlis, Perth (Category A Listed Building) (LB52450)". Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  9. Historic Environment Scotland. "York Place, A K Bell Library including Boundary Wall to York Place (LB39323)". Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  10. "Perth and Kinross Council 'Set To Spend £1 million On HQ Move'". Planet Radio. 13 November 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  11. "2 High Street, Perth". Bigg Design. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  12. "Perth & Kinross Council Headquarters". Rapid Access. Archived from the original on 28 September 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  13. "External lighting outside council buildings on High Street Perth". What do they know?. 29 October 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  14. "Perth and Kinross Council headquarters unlikely to open again this year due to flood damage". Daily Record. 17 September 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
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