Charlotte Square was designed by Scottish architect Robert Adam.
The Lord Provost and Edinburgh Town Council commissioned Adam to draw up plans for the Square in 1791 as the culmination of Edinburgh's first New Town.
However, Adam died in 1792 and his completed designs had to be realised by others.
The north side of the Square was built first and is faithful to his intentions.

The plot where Bute House now stands was sold in 1792 by public roup (auction) to Orlando Hart, a shoemaker, prominent member of the Town Council and deacon-convener of the trades in Edinburgh, for £290.

In 1806, Sir John Sinclair, 1st Baronet bought the newly completed house for £2950.
Sinclair was a Whig politician and a writer on finance and agriculture.
He was also responsible for the compilation of the First Statistical Account of Scotland.
Sir John Sinclair sold the house in 1816 to Lieutenant Colonel William Gabriel Davy.
His daughter Catherine Sinclair was born there in 1800.

In May 1818, the house was purchased from Davy by Henry Ritchie of Busbie.
Ritchie was a Glasgow merchant, a partner in the Thistle Bank, and the owner of landed estates in Lanarkshire and Ayrshire.
He sold his Charlotte Square townhouse to Charles Oman, a hotel keeper and vintner, in May 1825.
Oman, a native of Caithness, had owned various hotels and coffee houses in Edinburgh over the decades, including the Waterloo Hotel on the city's Waterloo Place up until his purchase of 6 Charlotte Square.
Oman turned his new townhouse into Oman’s Hotel, which it was to remain for over 20 years.
The fixings for the letters of the hotel's name can still be seen today on the exterior wall above the front entrance door of Bute House.

Oman died in August 1826, but the hotel continued to operate under the ownership of his widow, Mrs Grace Oman (née Burns).
The exiled Charles X of France stayed at the hotel for a brief time in 1832, during his second period of exile in Edinburgh.
Following Mrs Oman's death in 1845, 6 Charlotte Square was sold by her heirs to Alexander Campbell of Cammo, who lived in the house with his family until his death in 1887.
Campbell commissioned David Rhind to make various alterations and additions to the house in 1867.
The next owner of the house was Sir Mitchell Mitchell-Thomson, 1st Baronet, who was to make it his home for the next 30 years.
A partner in his family's timber business, and a director of the Bank of Scotland, he also served as the Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1897 until 1900.
In 1889, Mitchell-Thomson employed the architect Thomas Leadbetter to carry out further alterations.
Charlotte Square was designed by Scottish architect Robert Adam. The Lord Provost and Edinburgh Town Council commissioned Adam to draw up plans for the Square in 1791 as the culmination of Edinburgh's first New Town. However, Adam died in 1792 and his completed designs had to be realised by others. The north side of the Square was built first and is faithful to his intentions.
The plot where Bute House now stands was sold in 1792 by public roup (auction) to Orlando Hart, a shoemaker, prominent member of the Town Council and deacon-convener of the trades in Edinburgh, for £290. 
In 1806, Sir John Sinclair, 1st Baronet bought the newly completed house for £2950. Sinclair was a Whig politician and a writer on finance and agriculture. He was also responsible for the compilation of the First Statistical Account of Scotland. Sir John Sinclair sold the house in 1816 to Lieutenant Colonel William Gabriel Davy. His daughter Catherine Sinclair was born there in 1800.
In May 1818, the house was purchased from Davy by Henry Ritchie of Busbie. Ritchie was a Glasgow merchant, a partner in the Thistle Bank, and the owner of landed estates in Lanarkshire and Ayrshire. He sold his Charlotte Square townhouse to Charles Oman, a hotel keeper and vintner, in May 1825. Oman, a native of Caithness, had owned various hotels and coffee houses in Edinburgh over the decades, including the Waterloo Hotel on the city's Waterloo Place up until his purchase of 6 Charlotte Square. Oman turned his new townhouse into Oman’s Hotel, which it was to remain for over 20 years. The fixings for the letters of the hotel's name can still be seen today on the exterior wall above the front entrance door of Bute House.
Oman died in August 1826, but the hotel continued to operate under the ownership of his widow, Mrs Grace Oman (née Burns). The exiled Charles X of France stayed at the hotel for a brief time in 1832, during his second period of exile in Edinburgh. Following Mrs Oman's death in 1845, 6 Charlotte Square was sold by her heirs to Alexander Campbell of Cammo, who lived in the house with his family until his death in 1887. Campbell commissioned David Rhind to make various alterations and additions to the house in 1867. The next owner of the house was Sir Mitchell Mitchell-Thomson, 1st Baronet, who was to make it his home for the next 30 years. A partner in his family's timber business, and a director of the Bank of Scotland, he also served as the Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1897 until 1900. In 1889, Mitchell-Thomson employed the architect Thomas Leadbetter to carry out further alterations.
Bute House