17, 19 Union Street, Edinburgh

17 and 19 Union Street in Edinburgh is a classical tenement block built in 1806, 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 has smooth V-jointed rustication, while the upper floors are finished in droved ashlar. The basement also has droved ashlar, and the rear is made of coursed rubble with dressed margins. There are dividing bands between the basement and ground floor, and between the ground and first floor, as well as a mutuled eaves cornice and a blocking course. A slightly recessed stair bay is located on the outer left, with droved ashlar on the ground floor and no band or cill courses. The fenestration is regular.

On the principal elevation, the central bay of the rusticated section features a platt that overarches the basement recess, leading to a timber-panelled door set in a round-arched opening with a segmental umbrella glazed fanlight. This is flanked by a pilastered doorpiece with narrow 5-pane margin lights. The outer left bay has steps leading to another platt that also overarches a basement recess, which leads to a timber-panelled and glazed door with a 5-light letterbox fanlight. The roof has two tripartite dormer windows.

The rear elevation is five bays wide, with three bays on the left forming a bowed section. Several upper floor windows have cast iron balconettes.

The building has railings at the edge of the basement recess and platts, featuring stone copes on the basement and spear-head finialled cast iron railings. The boundary wall at the rear is made of random rubble with a flat concrete coping and includes a mitre-arched doorway with stugged jambs.

Most of the windows are timber sash and case with predominantly 12-pane glazing, while the outer lights of the tripartite dormers have 4-pane glazing. The dormers feature timber fascia and grey slate haffits and piend roofs. The pitched roof is covered with graded grey slates and has stone skews. There are two corniced droved ashlar stacks on the left front pitch, one corniced rendered mutual ridge stack on the left, and one corniced rendered wallhead stack at the rear, all with circular cans.