21-23 Howe Street, Edinburgh

21-23 Howe Street in Edinburgh is a terraced tenement building designed by Robert Reid and William Sibbald in 1802. It has four storeys and a basement, featuring a six-bay façade made of broached ashlar sandstone. The principal floor is distinguished by V-jointed rustication, with a band course at both the principal and first floors, a cill course at the first and second floors, and cornices at the second and third floors. The entrance is accessed via ashlar steps and platts that extend over the basement.

The west elevation, which is the principal façade, includes a six-panel timber door leading to a common stair, with a blind rectangular fanlight above it, located in the third bay from the left. There is a former door in the penultimate bay from the left, and the remaining bays feature plate glass shop windows, with a blind window in the penultimate bay from the right. The upper floors have regular fenestration, with blind windows in the penultimate bay from the right. Balconies span the bays on either side of the common stair door. The basement has a two-bay shop front on the outer left, consisting of a door on the right and a plate glass window on the left, while the right side has a three-bay shop front with a central door flanked by plate glass windows.

The south elevation transitions into 71 and 75 Northumberland Street and consists of five bays. It features a round-arched doorpiece at the principal floor, with a two-leaf glazed door and a semicircular fanlight, flanked by plate glass windows with similar fanlights. The upper floors have regular fenestration, with blind windows in the penultimate bay from the left at both the first and third floors.

The building predominantly has 12-pane timber sash and case windows, a grey slate M-roof, and cast-iron rainwater goods. The wallhead stack is rendered, while the gablehead stack is made of random rubble with broached quoins, coped, and features circular cans.

The interiors were not seen as of 1997, and there are iron railings present.