51 Commercial Street, Dundee

This is a substantial, four-storey and attic commercial building dated 1877 and designed by Alexander Johnston. It occupies a large, corner site in Dundee and demonstrates a consistent Renaissance detailing across all three elevations, facing Commercial Street, Murraygate, and Seagate.

The building is constructed of cream sandstone ashlar with a slate mansard roof. The shopfronts on Murraygate and Seagate are largely original, featuring exposed cast-iron columns with elaborate composite capitals and a mezzanine level on Seagate. A dentilled cornice runs along the facade; a cill course is present on the first and second floors, and giant banded pilasters rise to a drop-corbelled main cornice at the second floor. Further paired pilasters rise above this to a corniced balustraded parapet, which is adorned with dies and urn finials. The balustrade has been removed from the right-hand eight bays on Commercial Street and Seagate. Two moulded, round-headed doorpieces are situated at Commercial Street, each featuring mask keystones and astragalled fanlights, flanked by banded Doric pilasters.

The windows throughout are architraved, some being paired. They have aprons and varying pediments: alternate segmental and triangular consoled pediments to the first floor; keystoned and segmental-headed windows with continuous hood moulds to the second floor; segmental-headed windows to the third floor. Round-headed dormers are located in the roof. Stained glass panels are incorporated into the ground floor window of the public house situated at the corner of Commercial Street and Seagate. The building has corniced axial chimney stacks.

The Commercial Street elevation has sixteen bays arranged in symmetrical eight-bay sections, with three-bay curved angles at the left and right. The Seagate elevation presents eleven bays, incorporating two ground-floor entrances. The Murraygate elevation features a modern shopfront at ground level, with tripartite and single windows on the upper floors.

The interior of the building has not been inspected.