These motifs include the joined pattern that winds around the entire structure, the stonework emblems on the upper floor, and the square jutting out doorways.

In the mid-1800s, the boom in Glasgow’s population caused by the Industrial Revolution pushed development west, as the upper classes sought to leave the areas inundated with migrant workers. At the same time, the University of Glasgow moved to the plush West End, next to recently constructed Kelvingrove Park. Thomson was commissioned to design several series of homes for the affluent families fleeing west, including Eton Terrace, Great Western Terrace, and Westbourne Terrace.

Eton Terrace is bookended by the house on each end rising one floor higher than the rest, adorned with a Greek roof and accompanying columns, inspired by the porches at the Choragic Monument of Thrasyllus.