Teviot Row House’s re-opening has been delayed until 2026, according to an announcement published by the Edinburgh University Student’s Association (EUSA) on Tuesday (Oct 8).
“Additional electrical work means we now expect the building to reopen in early 2026” said the announcement, buried in the tenth paragraph of the 14-paragraph statement.
While Teviot initially planned to re-open in the summer of 2025, this delay will push back the re-opening of the beloved student’s union by at least 6-months.
On 1 May 2023, EUSA announced that Teviot would be closed at the start of the 2023/2024 academic year for renovations.
The renovations plan to address some of the outdated features of the building and add new plumbing and accessibility access for students.
Because the entire building will be closed for the duration of the rennovations, students are unable to access the Library Bar, New Amphion Cafe, Sport’s Bar, Debating Hall, and other rooms Teviot was known for.
The Student’s Union was considered the hub of Edinburgh University student activity.
Students expressed outrage about the closure. A change.org petition was started on 2 May 2023 to oppose the closure, receiving 1,259 signatures.
Since Teviot’s closure, EUSA has re-modelled Potterrow to add additional study space in the Student Longue and has introduced a wider menu selection.
To address the study and social space lost from Teviot’s closure, the University renovated 40 George Square to add study space to the first four floors of the building.
Despite the changes around campus, there is still a wide sense of anticipation from students about Teviot’s re-opening.
“It’s a great shame I haven’t even gotten to see it” said one first-year student, remarking how they have never been able to access the building.
EUSA President Dora Hendorn said in the statement released from EUSA that the Student’s Association “share your disappointment while we can’t make the building works go quicker, we encourage students to please reach out if there is something we can do to make the extended closure easier for them.”
The full EUSA announcement can be read here.
“teviot row house” by Jon Vrushi is licensed under CC BY 2.0.