12-14 Nicolson Square, Edinburgh

12-14 Nicolson Square is a tenement block built around the 1780s. It is three stories high, with a basement and attic, and features a symmetrical nine-bay façade. The entrance has steps and an overhanging platform that leads to the basement, and the building currently serves as an academic department as of 2007. The exterior is made of droved ashlar stone with raised cills. The doorways are simple, with pilasters, cornices, and architraves. Number 12 has an enlarged central two-leaf timber entrance door topped with a rectangular fanlight. The central bay includes a round-arched window with Y-tracery, and there are two wallhead gables. The dormers are later additions, designed with piended roofs and pediments.

The building predominantly features 12-pane timber sash and case windows, grey slate roofing, and cast iron rainwater goods.

Inside, as observed in 2007, the interior has been largely altered and modified. There is a central curved dog-leg staircase with stone treads and metal balusters and handrail. At the rear, a large galleried hall includes a central cupola and metal columns that support the gallery. A Venetian window and flanking rectangular windows are set within a timber segmental-arched niche.

The street elevation is adorned with plain metal railings, which include integral gates leading to the basements.