15, 16 Gayfield Square, Edinburgh

17 Gayfield Square is a large tenement block dating from 1807, designed by Hugh Cairncross, and built in a Classical style. Situated on Gayfield Square, the building presents a symmetrical three-storey, basement and attic elevation across seventeen bays. The front elevation features a prominent, pedimented central section. The ground floor is finished with smooth, V-jointed rustication; the basement and upper floors are constructed in droved ashlar. The side elevation utilizes droved ashlar at ground floor, while the rear elevation incorporates coursed rubble with dressed margins. A dividing band is visible between the basement and ground floor, and again between the ground and first floor, along with cill courses to the first and second floors on the front elevation. An eaves cornice and blocking course are also present on the front elevation.

The principal elevation features slightly projecting three-bay pavilions in the centre, to the outer left and outer right. Timber-panelled doors with rectangular fanlights are positioned in the third, fifth, eighth, thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth bays; most fanlights have umbrella glazing, however the fifth bay features a three-light design, and the fourteenth has six panes. Each doorway is accessed by separate steps and a platt which over-arches the basement recess. Cast iron balconettes are situated on the ground and first floors of the outer four bays to the left, and on the second floor of bays six through thirteen, inclusive. A blind oculus is situated within the central pediment. Dormers are visible to the roof, with three flat-roofed dormers to the left, two flat-roofed tripartite dormers to the centre and to the right, and four piend-roofed dormers on the right-hand side; the dormers were possibly added later.

The south-west (side) elevation is four stories high and has three bays, with a coursed rubble base course. Blind windows are visible on the right bay and the upper floors of the left bay. A cast iron balconette is situated below the central window of the first floor. The north-west (rear) elevation also has cast iron balconettes to several upper floor windows.

Windows throughout are primarily timber sash and case, with 12-pane glazing. The outer lights of the tripartite dormers on the left side feature 8-pane glazing, while those on the right side have 4-pane glazing. Dormers have timber fascias and grey slate haffits, and the piend-roofed dormers have a grey slate roof. The main roof is an M-shape, with a valley gutter and graded grey slate, along with stone skews and skewputts. The building is characterized by four corniced coursed rubble ridge stacks, corniced coursed rubble gablehead stacks on the left and right, and two corniced, rendered wallhead stacks to the rear; all stacks are topped with circular cans. Spear-head and urn finialled cast iron railings with stone copes edge the basement recess, while plain railings surround the steps and platts.