By the end of the 18th century all the churches within the Cathedral were in a bad state of repair. In 1790 it was decided to abandon the Barony Church in the crypt of the Cathedral and to build a new one close by. It was designed by James Adam in a mixture of Gothic and Greek architecture and generally failed to impress. It opened for worship in 1800. The formidable Dr Burns preached here from 1774 until 1839. The two remaining churches within the Cathedral building were the Outer and the Inner High Churches. The Outer High Church was much improved internally in 1811 with a large window over the original west door. The Inner High Church was also renovated, even allowing an organ to be placed in the original organ gallery.
It was also James Adam who designed a new Tron Church in 1794 on the site of the old one. Its most famous ministers were Stevenson McGill who was there from 1797 until 1814 when Thomas Chalmers succeeded him. St Enoch's Church dominated the new St Enoch Square from the 1780s. St George's, at the west side of Buchanan Street, designed by William Stark, opened in 1807 and the congregation of the Wynd Church moved there.