Basic Site Details

Name: Couper Street housing (Thomas Fraser Court and John Russell Court)
Town, district or village: Leith
City or county: Edinburgh
Country: Scotland
Parish:  
Status:  
Grid ref:
Notes: Two grid-fronted 20-storey blocks. 183 houses completed January 1965. Cost £634,000

Alternative Names

The following alternative names are associated with this building/design:
 NameCurrent name?Notes
Item 1 of 1Citadel and Persevere Courts new name given to tower blocks after the 1993 refurbishments

Building Type Classification

The building is classified under the following categories:
 ClassificationOriginal classification?Notes
Item 1 of 1Housing  

Street Addresses

The following street addresses are associated with this building:
 AddressMain entrance?Notes
Item 1 of 1Couper Street  

Events

The following date-based events are associated with this building:
 FromToEvent typeNotes
Item 1 of 519611963Build/construction'Buildings of Scotland' gives date as 1961-5.
Item 2 of 51961 Build/constructionwork to start on two 20-storey blocks of flats in autumn 1961 per Builder
Item 3 of 59 June 1961 Scheme acceptedEdinburgh Dean of Guild Court has granted approval to the Corporation for the first phase of Central Leith redevelopment, two 20-storey blocks of flats at an est cost of £430,000 per Builder p1126
Item 4 of 5January 1965 Completion 
Item 5 of 5Between 1990s and January 1993Alteration/conversion£3million refurbishment incl. replacement of windows, new heating systems and installation of new security systems. Buildings given new names: Citadel and Persevere Courts.

People

Design and Construction

The following individuals or organisations have carried out design/construction work. Where architects or practices worked together, matching letters appear beside their names in the Partnership Group column.
 NameRolePartnership GroupFromToNotes
Item 1 of 3Alison & Hutchison & Partners A19611963 
Item 2 of 3Harry Horace Macdonald A1961January 1965Partner in charge
Item 3 of 3Robert Forbes Hutchison A19611963 

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this building:
 Author(s)DateTitlePartPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 3Gifford, John, McWilliam, Colin and Walker, David M1984Edinburgh (The Buildings of Scotland) Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltdp480
Item 2 of 3Glendinning, M, MacInnes, R and MacKechnie, A1996A History of Scottish Architecture  p551
Item 3 of 3Glendinning, Miles and Muthesius, Stefan1994Tower Block: Modern Public Housing in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland Yale University Press: New Haven and Londonp322, p380 Gazetteer 2

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this building:
 Periodical NameDateEditionPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 5Builder12 February 1960  p341
Item 2 of 5Builder9 June 1961  p1126
Item 3 of 5Edinburgh Evening News29 January 1993  p19
Item 4 of 5Edinburgh Evening News2 November 1993  p3; "New bid to keep flats and families safe"
Item 5 of 5Edinburgh News25 September 1993  p11 "High rise headache"

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this building:
 SourceArchive nameSource catalogue no.Notes
Item 1 of 1RIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert MuseumRIBA Nomination Papers Harry Horace Macdonald: F no7158 (Combined Box 176)