Princes Square
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Background: It was developed in 1986 to a design by Edinburgh architects, the Hugh Martin Partnership. The new five-story, 10,450-square-meter (112,500 sq. ft.) retail center occupies a pre-existing cobbled square dating from 1841, which was reconfigured by enclosing the entire space below a new clear glass domed and vaulted roof. An expansion was completed in summer 1999, extending the center into Springfield Court and providing a further 1,860 square meters (20,000 sq. ft.) of retail area and a new retail frontage to Queen Street.
The original cellars of the existing buildings were excavated to provide additional space. Inside the square, new galleries and stairs give access to the upper stories. The original sandstone facades were preserved around the modern interior. The center is adorned with decorative glass, tiling, lighting, timber and metalwork, designed by artists and craftsmen.
The writer Bill Bryson referred to Princes Square as "one of the most intelligent pieces of urban renewal".
The Hugh Martin Partnership earned several design awards for Princes Square, including the RIBA Scottish Regional Award for Architecture (1988), the Edinburgh Architectural Association Centenary Medal (1989), and a Civic Trust Award (1989). The original fabric has been protected as a category B listed building since 1970.
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