7 and 9 Union Street, Edinburgh

7 and 9 Union Street is a classical tenement block built in 1805, likely designed by Hugh Cairncross and constructed by John Aitchison. The building features three storeys, an attic, and a basement, with a near-symmetrical six-bay elevation facing Union Street. The ground floor is finished with smooth V-jointed rustication, while the upper floors are clad in droved ashlar. The basement also uses droved ashlar, and the rear is constructed of random rubble with dressed margins. There are dividing bands between the basement and ground floor, as well as between the ground and first floor, along with a cill course at the first floor and a mutuled eaves cornice topped with a blocking course. A slightly recessed stair bay is located on the outer right, featuring droved ashlar at the ground floor but lacking band or cill courses. The building has regular fenestration.

On the principal elevation, the central bay of the rusticated section includes steps and a platt that over-arch a basement recess, leading to a timber-panelled door set in a round-arched opening, complete with a segmental sunburst fanlight. The outer right bay also has steps and a platt leading to a timber-panelled and glazed door with a 10-light rectangular fanlight. There are two tripartite dormer windows on the roof.

The basement recess and steps are bordered by stone copes, which edge the basement only, and are topped with spear-head finialled cast iron railings. At the rear, there is a random rubble boundary wall with a flat stone coping.

The glazing predominantly consists of 12-pane timber sash and case windows, with 4-pane glazing in the outer lights of the tripartite dormers. The dormers feature timber fascias and grey slate haffits and piend roofs. The pitched roof is covered with graded grey slates and includes stone skews. There are two corniced rendered ridge stacks on the left, one on the right at the rear, and a corniced brick wallhead stack at the rear, all equipped with circular cans.