In the post-war era, the St James Square district was made up of dozens of Georgian townhouses and tenements, typical to this part of Edinburgh.
By the 1960s, however, the elegance of these buildings was fading fast.
Run down, rodent-ridden, and roundly associated with poverty, squalor and crime, St James Square and surrounding streets were earmarked for demolition as part of a comprehensive reimagining of the district, that would centre around a huge new development, incorporating a shopping complex and several large office buildings.
When the St James Centre opened in 1973, the area had been rendered unrecognisable, with only a handful of the original buildings left standing.
But, fast forward more than 40 years, the concrete edifice of the St James – like the handsome 18th century square that preceded it – found itself staring at the wrecking ball.
With the triumphant opening of the new £1 billion St James Quarter last month, the district has once more been born anew.
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5. Leith Street
Nearby Leith Street, pictured in 1958, was also earmarked for demolition. Photo: TSPL

6. St James district - aerial view
The St James district covered a vast wedge of Edinburgh's city centre. Photo: TSPL

7. Demolition of St James Square
A bulldozer piles up waste as the demolition of St James Square in Edinburgh continues in August 1966. Photo: George Smith

8. St James Square demolition
A view showing John Hunter & Sons (Demolition Workers) Ltd. demolishing St James Square, 1960s. Photo: Ian Brand