Council chiefs have unveiled an ambitious new vision for the historic Provost Skene’s House by transforming it into a museum celebrating the lives of famous Granite City residents.
A total of £1.875million will be ploughed into the 16th-century city centre home which the local authority affirmed will put culture at the heart of the Marischal Square scheme.
Famous faces, as diverse as architect Archibald Simpson and footballer, Denis Law, will be honoured in the new museum which is designed to be a major tourist draw and educational tool for schools.
The A-listed house is named after one of Aberdeen’s most famous residents, Lord Provost George Skene, who is believed to have commissioned the iconic carved plaster ceilings.
After taking over Marischal Square, council chiefs vowed to maintain the property and make it a centrepiece of their new venture.
Developer Muse allocated £500,000 towards refurbishment of the building and have so far spent £125,000 on protecting it from damage caused by construction – leaving £375,000 for the renovation.
Meanwhile, members of the finance committee will be asked to approve a further £1.5million next Thursday.
The house was previously a museum, cherished for its popular café, but was boarded up after the demolition of St Nicholas House in 2014.
Last night senior administration members revealed that, if approved, the new museum would be open at the same time as the wider Marischal Square development in July next year.
Other people who could be given special recognition include singer-songwriter Annie Lennox, romantic poet Lord Byron and the Scottish ‘samurai’ Thomas Blake Glover.
Marie Boulton, the council’s deputy leader who is leading the 25-year city centre masterplan, said: “Once Provost Skene’s House is refurbished, it will be used to showcase and highlight the contribution of Aberdonians who transformed our world.
“Many citizens will have their own thoughts on who should be included within Provost Skene’s House. This could be anybody from Professor John Mallard – who invented the MRI scanner – to singer Annie Lennox.
“This is a further representation of investing in culture as part of our city centre masterplan.”
Finance convener Willie Young added: “I am delighted we are investing another £1.5m into the refurbishment of Provost Skene’s House which will help to preserve this historic building for generations.”
Dustin Macdonald, chairman of the city centre community council, gave a cautious welcome to the plans.
He said: “I think it would be good to see Provost Skene’s House brought back into use and a museum would be a good use for it.”
However, Liberal Democrat Martin Greig responded: “Provost Skene’s House was one of the city’s few tourist attractions and it is being drowned out by the Muse development.
“It’s important that the public is widely consulted before anything is done to this treasured building.”
