Major structural repairs to St Andrews Town Hall could take more than a year to complete.
The town centre building has been closed since cracks were found in the ceiling more than a year ago.
Specialist investigations found dry and wet rot in the window lintels.
Every window in the main hall is affected and almost £600,000 worth of work is needed.
St Andrews Town Hall is well used by various community groups and for events including weddings and festivals.
Funding has now been secured for the repairs, including a £210,000 contribution from the Common Good Fund agreed by councillors this week.
Fife Council has already pledged £380,000 towards the cost.
Call to cap common good fund contribution
While St Andrews Community Council wanted to cap the common good contribution at £150,000 to leave funding for other purposes, Fife Council said the full amount was justified given the importance of the civic building to the town.
Liberal Democrat councillor Jane Ann Liston said the community council was keen to pay towards repairs.
But members also want to be able to distribute money to good causes in the town.
However, Labour councillor Brian Thomson said it was “entirely appropriate” the common good fund was used to bridge the funding gap.
It’s essential that the works are carried out and the building made available for public use.”
Councillor Brian Thomson.
“The requirement for extensive structural repairs to the town hall only became apparent when cracks in the ceiling of the main first floor hall were observed and subsequent invasive investigations carried out,” he said.
“Such issues are common in old buildings and not a result of a lack of maintenance.
“Now that they have been identified, it’s essential that the works are carried out and the building made available for public use again as soon as possible.”
Mr Thomson said he appreciated the move would reduce the funding available to other projects.
But he added: “The alternative would be further, indefinite delay to the works while Fife Council tried to secure funding from other sources.”
St Andrews Town Hall has been covered in scaffolding since December 2019.
What the repairs will involve
The work has been delayed due to Covid restrictions but is finally scheduled to get under way next month.
Specialists will remove the contaminated timbers, stone and plaster.
Then the remaining timbers and stone walls will be chemically treated.
New concrete and steel lintels will be installed by opening up the roof, which will also allow any issues there to be addressed.
In addition, work carried out during a refurbishment in the 1960s will be corrected.
At that time, iron grilles in the stonework were removed, reducing the ventilation in the building.
Inside, ornate cornicing will be reinstated, new lighting installed and woodchip wallpaper removed.
A report to councillors stated: “The timescale for the work is currently 48 weeks from mid-May.”
It is hoped the ground floor will reopen to the public before then.