A dome which has been a landmark on the city's skyline for almost a century is to be restored as part of a £1 million refurbishment.
The glass dome has crowned Lothian Buses' central garages, in Annandale Street, off Leith Walk, since the depot was built in 1922 to hose a large industrial exhibition.
The passing of time and the Edinburgh weather, however, have left the structure dilapidated and in danger of collapsing.
Now the bus company has announced it is to carry out a £1m revamp of the building, which will see the dome restored to its former glory.
As well as preserving the building's most celebrated feature, the improvements will also dramatically improve conditions at the depot for the drivers.
Dangerous
The building was converted into a corporation bus depot in 1934.
Neil Aitken, facilities Manager for Lothian Buses, said he roof work would be carried out over the coming weeks and should be complete by February.
He said: "It was essential that we did this work. The roof was dangerous and its life had expired. We're using the existing trusses and steel work, but we're removing all of the old roof, all the glass panels from the dome. When finished, 80 percent of the new roof will be made up of transparent perspex so the garage will be a lot lighter. We're also putting in better air extractors, so the air will be much cleaner."
Neil Renilson, chief executive of Lothian Buses, welcomed the new roof and repairs to the landmark dome. Around 230 buses are based at the depot - which is larger than a football pitch - at any one time, with 160 vehicles kept under the original roofing, which is being replaced. Mr Renilson added: "The Annandale Street depot is a fundamental site for us and a key to the business. It is the city centre bus depot and that is why we are spending this amount of money on it."
The depot was built for an industrial exhibition in 1922 to showcase what Scotland had to offer the world in industrial technology. The building, which was designed by GM Homes Douglas for the Edinburgh Exhibition Association, replaced the Waverley Market.
It was then extended and converted to its present use by the architect EJ MacRae. The building also hosted a ceremony of the Union of the Church of Scotland in 1929, when the United Free Church merged with the established Church of Scotland.
Last month, Lothian Buses announced it was to spend more than £7m on almost 50 new buses for the Capital.
The 45 new state-of-the-art double-deckers, which will be delivered to Lothian Buses next year, mark the company's largest-ever single order for vehicles.
Each brand-new £160,000 double-decker bus, built by TransBus International, features low-floor easy access and an entrance ramp for wheelchair and baby buggy users.
The buses, which will have one entrance/exit door, will also feature state-of-the-art CCTV equipment to boost security for passengers and drivers.
Popular
Company chiefs hope using the single door will mean a rapport can be created between the bus driver and passenger as well as enabling the driver to keep more of an eye on the passengers.
The majority of buses will operate on the city network across the Capital, although five will serve the popular Airlink City Centre to Airport service.
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