Pearl Assurance Building, 35 Castle Street, Edinburgh

The Pearl Assurance Building, located at 35 Castle Street in Edinburgh, was designed by Alfred George Lochhead and constructed between 1924 and 1925. It underwent alterations and additions by Basil Spence from 1937 to 1938, with further modifications at the ground level by James Davidson & Son of Coatbridge in 1956. This building is a restrained example of early Modern Movement architecture, featuring a steel frame and situated on a corner site. It has four storeys plus an attic, with a façade made of cream polished ashlar, and a black granite base course along with red granite at the ground level.

The corner entrance bay has been altered in 1937 and features a doorcase made of red and black polished ashlar with raised Egyptian detailing. The first-floor window is framed by a rusticated architrave, while the second-floor window is architraved and supported by a consoled Lorimerian scrolled pediment. The third floor has a cill course and a square window, with multi-pane sash and case glazing throughout.

On the George Street elevation, the building has a symmetrical nine-bay design, with five eastern bays attributed to Spence. There is a recessed bay on the left side. The ground level features a canopied entrance at the centre, flanked by polished black granite pilasters and large square windows. A cill course runs along the first floor, with ashlar mullions connecting the first and second floors, which are separated by metal cladding. Bronze lettering from 1956 is also present. The third floor has short paired windows with chamfered mullions, altered in 1937, and is topped with a cornice and blocking course. The attic is recessed and features chamfered piers, also from 1937.

The Castle Street elevation consists of four bays, with the three northern bays detailed similarly to the George Street elevation, while the southern bay is recessed and has a single window on each floor, altered in 1937.

The first and second floors on the main elevations have modern metal windows, characterized by a narrow horizontal upper pane divided into eight smaller vertical panes, and the attic features altered multi-pane casements that were originally six-pane. The interior was not seen in 1995.