in 2002. The organ was re-inaugurated on 7 June 2003 in a celebratory concert recital by Gillian Weir. Present day Still owned and managed by the City of Edinburgh Council, the Usher Hall is still in constant use. As well as being one of the main venues for the Edinburgh International Festival, other events have been held, such as the Holocaust Memorial Ceremony and the Colin O'Riordan Memorial Concert. Freedom of the City ceremonies have taken place at the hall over the years, with the most recent being for film star and Scottish icon Sean Connery in 1991. On 13 April 1996 hours after a concert, a large piece of plaster fell 130 feet from the roof into the auditorium. Only three chairs were damaged, but this event was just one example of the state of disrepair into which the Hall was falling. Vital repairs were necessary to make the building wind-proof, watertight and safe. Relying heavily on Lottery and Arts Council funding, the City of Edinburgh embarked on a £25 million scheme to both make the hall safe and improve its function - including making the auditorium suitable for Promenade-type events and building new catering and ticketing facilities . Unfortunately, late into the design phase, the Lottery Fund application failed and the Arts Council withdrew its support. Mired in controversy the project collapsed. In 1998 the City of Edinburgh announced it had put aside £9 million to start the refurbishment again. In 2002 plans for a second phase of refurbishment were announced with plans to raise the further £11 million required. In 2007 work on the second phase began, which provided improved facilities and public spaces, including the construction of a new glass wing. The work was completed in 2009 at a cost of £25m, with the main hall reopened for the Festival and the completion of the new wing and official opening planned for November. See also List of concert halls Adjoining buildings Royal Lyceum Theatre Traverse Theatre References External links Category A listed buildings in Edinburgh Concert halls in Scotland Tourist attractions in Edinburgh Music venues in Edinburgh