38 William Street, Edinburgh

32 William Street in Edinburgh is a substantial three-storey commercial terrace building with a basement, likely designed by Robert Brown between 1824 and 1825. The structure features a plain classical style, with a ground floor that includes earlier 19th century shop premises. It is constructed from sandstone ashlar, which is droved at the basement and smooth on the first and second floors. The entrance platts extend over the basement, and there is a band course between the ground and first floors, along with a corniced eaves course. The façade includes some blind windows that are irregularly spaced, and the shop fronts have painted fascias.

The south (rear) elevation is made of roughly squared rubble with droved ashlar dressings and has irregular window placements. The earlier 19th century shop fronts feature large plate glass and fixed 12-pane timber windows. The first and second floors, as well as the rear, have 12-pane timber sash and case windows. The building is topped with a corniced ashlar gable end and ridge chimney stacks that have modern clay cans. Additionally, it has cast-iron rainwater goods and cast-iron railings with fleur-de-lys finials surrounding the basement recess.