Along with the adjacent National Gallery of Scotland, their neo-classical design helped to transform Edinburgh into the cityscape known as "the Athens of the North".

The construction works are depicted in an 1825 painting by Alexander Nasmyth, in which Playfair can be seen supervising the erection of the fluted Doric columns.

[3] At the end of the 19th century, the Society of Antiquaries relocated its museum to new premises on Queen Street (the building that now houses the Scottish National Portrait Gallery), while the Royal Society moved to 22-24 George Street, and in 1907, the Royal Institution moved to the new Edinburgh College of Art.

The north and south elevations are fronted by prostyle octastyle porticoes surmounted by large pediments decorated with scrolled foliate carving.

[1] In 2003 railings (lost in World War II) together with a series of traditional lamps, were restored around both the academy and the National Gallery behind, isolating each building from the public space here.

[citation needed] In the 2010s, the RSA building was refurbished as part of the £32 million Playfair Project, and linked to the Scottish National Gallery by a subterranean public area to create a single, integrated arts complex with an additional entrance in Princes Street Gardens.