Marischal College, founded in 1593 by the 5th Earl Marischal, merged with King's College (founded 1495) in 1860 to create the modern University of Aberdeen. The college's huge and impressive facade overlooking Broad St, in perpendicular Gothic style – unusual in having such elaborate masonry hewn from notoriously hard-to-work granite – dates from 1906 and is the world's second-largest granite structure (after El Escorial near Madrid).
A renovation project saw the facade returned to its original silvery-grey glory, and the building now houses Aberdeen City Council's headquarters. Outside, Marischal Sq is undergoing redevelopment as a pedestrian plaza, creating controversy over plans for modern architecture juxtaposed with the college's neo-Gothic facade.