A central position in the town was chosen for the complex so that the buildings would adjoin all four quarters of the city (St. Andrew’s, St. Julian’s, St. Martin’s, St.Peter’s). From the very beginning a big overhanging square was planned between the Palace of the Consuls and that of the Podestà. The huge construction effort, started under the direction of architect Angelo of Orvieto, went on until the middle of the 14th c. The troubled period that Gubbio went through from 1350 to 1384 prevented the ambitious project from being completed. The square was only finished at the end of the following century. In the 16th c. an open gallery was built on the side of Piazza Grande facing the valley, but this was pulled down in 1839, while the neoclassical Palazzo Ranghiasci was being built on the other side.