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This imposing and rotund building combines elegance and grandeur. The concert hall is named after its benefactor Andrew Usher, a whisky distiller who donated £100,000 in 1896 for the building of the hall. The Usher Hall was completed in 1910, long after Usher's death, but has become a central venue for some of the top classical concerts in the capital. It has been one of the main venues for the Edinburgh International Festival since its launch in 1949.

The Usher Hall is currently a big work site with cranes around it as it undergoes major renovations. It is due to re-open for the Edinburgh Festival in August 2008.