39-41 Union Terrace, Aberdeen

39-41 Union Terrace is a Freestyle Baroque commercial building dating from around 1900. It features a symmetrical design with three bays, four storeys, and an attic. The first and second floors are linked by two-storey Queen Anne style oriel windows set in giant semi-elliptically arched recesses. The exterior is finished in polished granite ashlar, topped with a steeply pitched slated roof that has broad end stacks. The original glazing pattern has been partially lost.

On the ground floor, there is an elaborate central entrance that includes an open and broken semi-circular pediment raised over an entablature. The elongated triple keyblock of the arched doorpiece rises through the centre, featuring raised, scroll-moulded voussoirs. The entrance has recessed two-leaf oak outer doors with lugged, dentilled, and curved panelling, along with a semi-circular fanlight that has an original decorative wrought-iron screen inscribed with "Scottish Legal Chambers." The inner door is panelled below, with multi-paned glass featuring a serpentine head and bevelled glass above. The entrance is flanked by modern shopfronts, with the original fascia to the right, which includes pink polished ashlar clasping grey polished ashlar bandings, a plinth, and capitals; however, the pilasters on the left-hand shop have been lost.

The first and second floors showcase three broad transomed three-light oriel window bays within semi-elliptically arched recesses, supported by coupled Ionic pilasters at the outer bays. The arched heads of these windows have raised alternated voussoirs, similar to the entrance. On the third floor, there are six arched windows set in blocked rusticated architraves, with elongated keyblocks positioned between Ionic columns. The attic features an open and balustraded parapet over the outer bays, with a block parapet in the centre that breaks into a large steep-pitched Flemish gable. This gable contains two arched, architraved, and keyblocked windows at parapet level, which have 12-pane sash and case glazing (with the upper sash rounded), horizontal banding above, and a tiny circular oeil-de-beauf upper attic window. The gable is topped with a swan-necked pediment and finial at the apex. Additionally, there are single pedimented timber dormer windows set behind the open, balustraded parapet at the outer bays. The parapet and gable pediment are both finialled. The interior of the building has not been seen.