Geddes' work on Ramsay Garden began in the context of an urban renewal project that he had embarked on in Edinburgh’s Old Town.

The area had fallen into disrepair, and Geddes hoped both to improve the living conditions of the working class, and to increase the number of wealthier residents.

To these purposes Geddes rehabilitated a significant number of tenement buildings in slums along the Royal Mile,[3] including Abbey Cottages, Whitehorse Close and Riddle’s Court.

Geddes engaged the architect Stewart Henbest Capper to remodel Ramsay Lodge, and to build six large new blocks onto it at right angles to each other.

[5] By this time Geddes had acquired a position at a university in London, but he continued to supervise the design of Ramsay Garden on his frequent trips to Edinburgh.

The final year of building work was overseen by Sydney Mitchell, who had taken over as architect, due to Capper's poor health.

By the time Ramsay Garden was being built he had already established other student Halls of Residence in partnership with the Town and Gown Association.

[10] Murals painted by John Duncan on the walls of the dining and common rooms depicted images from Celtic myth and history.