[1] The first municipal building in the town was a tolbooth which dated back to the appointment of Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll as the local laird in the 17th century.

The new building was financed by a combination of an annual tax on the burgh inhabitants, by borrowing and by contributions from the local freemasons' lodge and from the Commissioner of Supply.

The interior of the building was also remodelled at that time with the disused prison cells being converted to form a council chamber.

[6][7] The building was acquired by the South Kintyre Development Trust in October 2014 and a major programme of refurbishment works, to a design by Coltart Earley, was completed in August 2016.

[8] The programme of works, which cost some £2 million and involved the conversion of the ground floor to commercial offices and the installation of a new lift to the assembly hall on the first floor, was financed by various bodies including Historic Scotland, the Heritage Lottery Fund, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Argyll and Bute Council and the Townscape Heritage Initiative.