12 Union Street, Edinburgh

12 Union Street in Edinburgh is a classical corner tenement designed by Robert Burn in 1800 and restored after fire damage around 1995. This three-storey building, with a basement and attic, features a five-bay by six-bay layout and is constructed from sandstone ashlar. The ground floor has rustication, and there are band courses between the ground and first floors, as well as between the first and second floors. The building has projecting cills, a mutuled eaves cornice, and a blocking course, with entrance platts that oversail the basement.

On the north (principal) elevation, there are five bays featuring round-arched recesses at the ground level, with a central round-arched entrance that has a fanlight. The remaining bays have windows, and the upper floors display regular fenestration with four box dormers.

The east (Union Street) elevation consists of seven bays at the ground level, with a recessed bay to the left. There is a common stair entrance with a tripartite fanlight, and the remaining bays have regularly placed windows, although some are blocked for symmetry. The first floor above also has regular fenestration, with windows in the last three bays blocked for symmetry. Above, there are windows in three bays to the left and two small gablehead windows.

The west (side) elevation has an exposed gablehead adjoining 27 Forth Street, featuring a small window set to the left. The building has timber sash and case windows, predominantly with 12-pane glazing, grey slate roofing, gablehead stacks with terracotta cans, and decorative cast-iron railings.

The interior was not seen in 1998.