72-76 John Finnie Street, Kilmarnock

A three-storey classical commercial building completed between 1879 and 1880 to the design of William Railton, executed in the style of Alexander Thomson. The building comprises a rectangular plan with a principal western elevation of 13 bays and a return of 6 bays to Bank Place. It is constructed in polished red Ballochmyle sandstone ashlar with a channelled plinth and moulded band courses between floors. The first floor features architraved pedimented windows characteristic of the Greek Revival style.

The principal western elevation displays mixed original and modern elements. The first five bays contain two modern shop fronts and a door, with an additional modern shop occupying bays 6 and 7. The original ground floor treatment survives at bays 8 to 13, comprising a pilastered door with rectangular fanlight flanked by pilastered windows with acanthus capitals, and further altered doors and windows. Bays 11 to 13 feature a bipartite pilaster-mullioned window with a semi-pilastered door and an altered plain window. The first floor contains 13 regularly spaced bays with broad cill bands carrying anthemion details set within architraves and block pediments featuring incised decoration with terminal anthemions. A lettered Royal Liver Assurance Office sign dating to approximately 1984 sits above bays 10 to 13. The second floor displays pilastered windows with slightly recessed anthemion panels between them. An eaves course and cornice complete the elevation.

The Bank Place elevation to the south is essentially three storeys over three bays, with the third bay missing at second floor level. The ground floor contains paired former doors now recessed as windows at the centre, a tripartite window to the right with a smaller high window at the extreme right, and paired rectangular windows to the left. The first floor features three pairs of regularly placed rectangular windows, with the right window of the first pair blind. The second floor contains a pair of regularly placed windows to the first and second bay, the right window of the first pair blind, with the elevation not continuing to the third bay. An eaves course and cornice finish this elevation.

The rear elevation to the east could not be examined as it is concealed behind Bank Street and Bank Place buildings.

Windows throughout the upper storeys were originally 4-pane timber sash and case designs, though many have been replaced with timber casement or mock 4-pane sash and case windows. The Bank Place elevation's first floor contains replacement 2-pane PVCu windows, whilst the ground floor shop elevations feature mostly replacement plate glass windows.

The roof is a shallow piended grey slate design with metal ridging, flashing and valleys. The Bank Place elevation presents a slight platformed appearance due to differing storey heights. Cast-iron rainwater goods are painted, with gutters concealed behind the cornice and downpipes set into the band courses.

Three tall coursed red sandstone gablehead and roofline stacks rise from the John Finnie Street elevation, each with projecting neck copes. Originally each carried eight squared cans, though some are now missing or replaced. A shaped coursed red ashlar wallhead stack between bays 3 and 4 features a sloped base with projecting band and neck cope, with replacement cans. A central wallhead stack to Bank Place has been much lowered and carries three replacement ventilation cans, whilst a further partially concealed corner stack to the left retains its original can.

The ground floor now comprises modernised Alliance and Leicester offices in the corner bays, with the left hand bays converted to a solicitor's practice, takeaway food outlet and shop. The upper storeys retain residential use in the first five bays, with the remaining eight bays providing offices for the Royal Liver Assurance Office.