Building on hill in deserted city (7)
I believe the answer is:
rectory
'building' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'on hill in deserted city' is the wordplay.
'on' becomes 're' ('on' can be mean 'with reference to').
'hill' becomes 'tor' (tor is a kind of hill).
'in' indicates putting letters inside.
'deserted' suggests removing the centre.
'city' with its centre removed is 'cy'.
'tor' placed within 'cy' is 'ctory'.
're'+'ctory'='RECTORY'
(Other definitions for rectory that I've seen before include "Vicar's residence" , "Vicarage" , "Incumbent's house" , "Clergyman's house" , "Accommodation for minister" .)