79, 81, 83, 85 Dundas Street, Edinburgh

79, 81, 83, and 85 Dundas Street is a terraced tenement building designed by Thomas Bonnar in 1820. It stands four storeys high with a basement and features an 8-bay facade, with the fourth storey designed as a wallhead attic. The exterior is constructed of broached ashlar sandstone, displaying V-jointed rustication at the principal floor. Notable architectural details include a base course, band courses between the basement and principal floor, as well as between the principal and first floors. The first floor has projecting cills for the bays, a cill course at the second floor, and cornices at both the second and third floors. The entrance features ashlar steps and platts that extend over the basement.

On the west (principal) elevation, there is a 9-panel timber common stair door located in the fourth bay from the right at the principal floor, which has glazed upper panels and a decorative rectangular fanlight. There are also 9-panel timber doors with plate glass rectangular fanlights in the third bays from both the left and right. The remaining bays at the principal floor and the floors above, as well as the basement, display regular fenestration.

The north elevation adjoins another terrace, which is listed separately (87-97A Dundas Street). The south elevation, facing Cumberland Street, features a coursed rubble gable and predominantly a single bay, leading to 34B Cumberland Street. This elevation includes a four-bay basement with a 6-panel, flush-beaded timber door and a 3-pane rectangular fanlight in the penultimate bay from the left, with regular fenestration in the remaining bays and windows centered above at the first floors.

The east (rear) elevation is made of coursed rubble and also has regular fenestration. The building predominantly features 12-pane timber sash and case windows, with window guards in the bays to the left and third from the left at the first floor, and in three bays to the left at the third floor. The roof is covered with grey slate in an M shape, and there are cast-iron rainwater goods, along with rubble ridge and gablehead stacks that have broached ashlar quoins, which are coped and topped with circular cans.

Interiors were not seen in 1997, but there is some evidence of working panelled shutters. The property is also adorned with railings and lamps, featuring ashlar copes topped with iron railings that have fleur-de-lis balusters and St George's cross finials.