The facade of Marischal College on Broad Street is one of Aberdeen's most dramatic sights — an intricate screen of perpendicular Gothic stonework in silver granite that catches the light in a way that plain granite walls do not. Built between 1891 and 1906 to designs by Alexander Marshall Mackenzie, it represents the peak ambition of Aberdeen's granite architecture.
The building now houses Aberdeen City Council offices, and the interior is not generally open to the public. But the exterior, particularly on a clear morning when the light picks out the spires and tracery, is worth seeking out. The adjacent Marischal Museum (entrance on Broad Street) holds the university's archaeology and ethnography collections and is free to visit. The museum's collection spans four continents and includes Egyptian mummies, Northwest Coast Native American objects, and one of the largest collections of Scottish antiquities outside the national museums.