After decades of staring at disused industrial buildings, Richard Trevithick's statue in Camborne now has a 21st century vista.
The town's most famous son looks out over on Coastline's modern housing development that has brought new life to the historic Holman's foundry complex.
The development, appropriately named Trevithick View, took four years to build and has resulted in 56 new homes for local people.
The scheme costing £8.4million, received funding support from the Homes and Communities Agency, Cornwall Council and the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The development was officially opened on Friday morning by George Eustice MP who cut the ribbon with Coastline's Chairman John Lander.
George described it as "a wonderful mixture of old and new" and praised Coastline's "distinctive" and "sensitive" design.
"The really important thing about this site is that it allows families to move here to downsize, freeing up bigger properties elsewhere for larger families"
Robert Nettleton, Chief Executive of Coastline Housing said "This has been about the regeneration of a World Heritage site in the heart of Camborne that has been derelict and decaying for years"
"The transformation has created much-needed homes, a sustainable community and is a shining example of what can be achieved by the close working and determination of organisations"
The development is a mixture of homes for rent and shared ownership (part-buy, part-rent).
Coastline said it would continue to work to restore the former Public Assembly Rooms adjacent to the site. This development will provide a further 18 fully accessible flats for locals.
Coastline are also working with the Trevithick Trust to develop the old Showroom's near the train station and turn it into a museum and may use it to store Trevithick's replica engine.
Mark Kaczmarek Cornwall Council's housing portfolio holder said "There were objections to developing this site and the objectors focussed on what we could preserve"
"This is somewhere in Camborne to be really proud of. I am pleased that as a result of this development a number of families have moved off the Home Choice register"