Dundee House

The site occupied by the building, on the west side of North Lindsay Street, was quarried in the first half of the 19th century. It was then reclaimed in the early 20th century for the purpose of erecting a factory for Halley Brothers, who were manufacturers of hackles, gills and pins for the textile industry.^[2][3]

The building was designed by Harry Thomson, built in sandstone and was completed in 1911. It was later used as a printing works for DC Thomson.^[4] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage of 15 bays facing onto North Lindsey Street. There were a series of openings on the ground floor, while the first floor was fenestrated by a series of tri-partite mullioned windows interspersed with Diocletian windows. The second and third floors were fenestrated entirely by tri-partite mullioned windows.^[5]

In the early 21st century, the factory was acquired by Dundee City Council with the intention of creating a new administrative headquarters to replace Tayside House.^[6][7][8] A new structure, consisting of three six-storey interconnected blocks, was erected behind the original structure. The new structure was designed by Reiach and Hall,^[9] built by Lendlease using brick piers and concrete slabs at a cost of £29 million, and was officially opened in August 2011.^[10][11] The project won two prestigious architecture awards: a Royal Institute of British Architects award for architectural excellence and the best commercial office/building or project outside London in the Roses Design Awards.^[12]

Canada Life acquired the building in a sale and leaseback deal in August 2019.^[13]