The building was designed by the firm Hall and Prentice, in association with four young New South Wales Architects: Bruce Dellit,[5] Peter Kaad, Emil Sodersten[6] and Noel Wilson.

Charles Moffatt Jenkinson, the mayor of Brisbane in 1914, is credited with having finalised the decision to construct the city hall at Albert Square (now known as King George Square), by selling the alternative site in Fortitude Valley to the Catholic Church who proposed to construct the Holy Name Cathedral on that site.

[7][8] The first foundation stone was laid on Saturday 3 February 1917 by Queensland Governor (Major Sir Hamilton J. Goold-Adams) in advance of the building's construction.

The lord mayor William Jolly presented a cheque, paying for his electricity bill, as the first official transaction in the new building.

[17] In 1969 the council commenced the acquisition of the properties to the south of the City Hall, and in 1975 opened the Brisbane Administration Centre (or BAC), a 20-floor tower and surrounding plaza.

From 2003 the Museum of Brisbane replaced administration offices and had galleries positioned on both sides of the building's entrance from King George Square.

The restoration works involved replacement of all building services (electrical, mechanical, fire, hydraulic systems etc.

[23] The Brisbane City Hall was officially reopened to the public on Saturday, 6 April 2013 following a re-dedication ceremony and celebrations.

[24][14] The clock has Westminster Chimes, which sound on the quarter-hour, and can be heard from the Queen St Mall and, at times, in the surrounding suburbs.

The centre of City Hall features an auditorium, based on the Pantheon, Rome, and several smaller reception rooms.

The auditorium is a large circular hall that can seat up to 1,600 people and is covered by the largest copper dome in the southern hemisphere.

As the role of local government increased in the 1950s and 1960s, the reception rooms, hallways and side entrance vestibules (in Adelaide and Ann Streets) were converted to office space.

The building is constructed of concrete, brick and steel, with a base of granite extracted by the first builder, Arthur Midson, from his quarry at Camp Mountain near Samford.

[9] The sculptured tympanum within the pediment above the portico and entrance, was carved by Brisbane sculptor Daphne Mayo during construction of the Hall and depicts the settlement of Queensland.

[2] The gown-clad female figure in the centre depicts "progress" or "enlightenment", while settlers with their cattle and explorers with their horses, move out from under her protecting arms to claim the land from the indigenous people and native animals, who are represented by two aboriginal males crouching in the left hand corner, and a fleeing kangaroo.

According to a souvenir of the official opening, the central figure represents the state protecting its citizens, while the left hand side depicts "native life dying out at the approach of the white man" and the right hand side depicts "explorers discovering the new possibilities of the land in its industries".

[9] Since at least 1953, the sculptures have been the subject of controversy with the sculptor Daphne Mayo confirming at that time that the piece depicts the superiority of white colonial civilisation over Indigenous Australians.

The statue initially faced towards city hall, however this was changed in 1975 following a visit by Queen Elizabeth II, who remarked, 'why is grandpapa retreating?'

Redevelopment of King George Square, in front of the Brisbane City Hall, included a new re-modelled public plaza, restaurants, gift shops and a stage.

Following the 2010–2013 redevelopment, City Hall's role is primarily to support public gatherings, although it was the major Brisbane venue for classical concerts and arts events for decades, hosting such singers as Richard Tauber and Peter Dawson.

In addition to the main auditorium, reception rooms that had been converted to administration spaces over the years have been restored to their original purpose.

However, the iconic interior fittings of the Shingle Inn Cafe were removed and put into storage, allowing it to be reconstructed within the City Hall.

[18][19] In 2009, as part of the Q150 celebrations, the Brisbane City Hall was announced as one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland for its role as a "structure and engineering feat".