The wraps have come off a grand building in Inverness city centre which has spent months shrouded in scaffolding.
A £350,000 renovation project has been completed at 58-64 Academy Street, the former entrance to Inverness’s La Scala cinema.
The four-storey building now has a restaurant and shop on the ground floor, with offices and a flat above.
The project was made possible by a grant from the Inverness City Heritage Trust, which supplied 60% of the funding.
Trust chairman Councillor Jimmy Gray said: “This is a significant building in the city centre, with a lot of history, and it has been transformed by this work.
“It looks much as it would have done when it was first built.
“It’s particularly pleasing to see things moving forward on Academy Street, given the issues with the recent fire.
“The old part of the town is a major asset for the city and it’s important we do everything we can to maintain and improve the buildings. I hope other owners will see how good the building looks and consider doing improvements on their own buildings.”
The project involved repairs to the stonework, re-roofing and the replacement of gutters and downpipes.
The building has seven owners who all contributed to the funding, along with the heritage trust.
The project was managed by architect Catriona Duguid of Thomas Munro & Co, which has an office in the building.
The firm has a personal connection to the project, with founder Thomas Munro responsible for designing the building when working for another company.
When it was complete he set up his own practice and moved into the building, with his grandson Colin Munro now in charge of the family firm.
The work was undertaken by LTM, a specialist contractor who recently also completed work on the Steeple on Church Street, and local quantity surveyors McLeod and Aitken.
Inverness City Heritage Trust is an independent charitable company. It offers advice to building owners and produces publications and runs events about the history of buildings and architecture in Inverness.
It co-ordinates a programme of conservation work funded by grant assistance and since 2005 has awarded grants of more than £2.1million to 195 projects in the Inverness Riverside and Crown conservation areas.