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Former reading room and tenement building, one of the earliest classical buildings to be constructed on Union Street, built in 1819-22, designed by Archibald Simpson. The 3-bay section to the west (Nos 17-21) was the first to be built in 1819, followed by the rest in 1822. It was originally called Union Buildings and then The Athenaeum. Four-storey with attic, this was an 11 by 5 bay classical former reading room in the Eastern section, and tenement building with shops with round-arched openings to the ground floor. Built of smooth ashlar granite, with a grey slate mansard roof. It is among the earliest illustrations of granite dressed by hammer and puncheon (chisel). There are distinctive ionic columns to the former reading room rising through first and second floors of a 5-bay section. There is a rounded corner with bowed glazing to the Northwest. The East frontage is symmetrical with slightly advanced central 3-bay section with 4 tall ionic columns separating 3 large windows. The North elevation has a slightly advanced central 5-bay section with swagged wallhead panel. Glazing is multi-paned in round arched timber windows with fanlight glazing pattern on the ground floor, with predominantly 12-pane timber sash and case windows to upper floors. No. 17, a former tobacconists, has round-arched timber mouldings. The Eastern section of the building was converted to a restaurant in 1888. The building was gutted by fire in 1973 and restored in 1979-80 by Thomson Taylor Craig and Donald.
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Historic Environment Records (HER) 
Aberdeen City
HER -
NJ90NW0559 - ATHENAEUM, 5-21 (UNION STREET AND 1-2 CASTLE STREET, ABERDEEN