Light shines through as the brutalist block in the centre of Edinburgh once dubbed the ugliest building in Scotland is razed to the ground.
The St James Centre and New St Andrew's House tower that looked over north of the city are being demolished floor by floor and the area cleared for the next phase of the £1bn redevelopment of the district.
At the end of next month Leith Street, a key artery, will shut down for 10 months as the massive project nears a new phase of construction.
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The largest development of its kind ongoing in the UK, the transformation into the St James Quarter around the flagship John Lewis store - itself boosted by a £24m revamp - will include the controversial "ribbon" hotel, which incurred a hail of criticism.
It is scheduled to reopen in 2020, with 86 new shops, 20 restaurants, 150 flats, a number of hotels and a cinema.
Developer TH Real Estate said aparthotel brand Roomzzz has been earmarked for a prime position at the new St James Centre.
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It will have 73 rooms with a combination of a boutique hotel and serviced apartment and feature a rooftop terrace and balconies with views across the city.
Another firm, W Hotels will be behind the development's centrepiece ribbon hotel.
However, the much maligned New St Andrew's House - designed by Sir Basil Spence with Spence, Glover and Ferguson - was perhaps less so in an earlier time and was even given the royal seal of approval after a visit by the Queen in July 1975 when it became the new home of the Scottish Office.
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