At the time of construction, the Corn Exchange stood at the eastern end of Pyrmont Bridge and adjacent to Market Wharf, giving it easy access for produce by road and by water.

As transport links away from the inner harbour improved, interest in the Corn Exchange dwindled and from 1917 a succession of commercial tenants inhabited the upper levels of the building.

[1] In the 1980s, the Western Distributor viaduct was constructed between the Corn Exchange and the wharf, and also led to the demolition of the eastern abutment of Pyrmont Bridge.

Both this building and the Central Warehouse underwent considerable alteration and suffered some deterioration of the original fabric prior to their incorporation in the Nikko Hotel (now Hyatt Regency) redevelopment of the early 1990s.

[5] The Corn Exchange Building is a stucco-fronted three-storey structure with elliptical arches at street level and a curving corner at the southern end.

The open plan floor plate was retained during the 1990 alterations for the adaptive re-use and fitout as a small department store and restaurant.

[1] The Corn Exchange was extensively restored, reconstructed and adapted for retail purposes as part of the hotel redevelopment in the early 1990s, but still remains a fine representative example of a late 19th century warehouse complex.

Their original use as a market and warehouses, then office spaces followed by a period of neglect before an adaptive reuse development for commercial and retail tenancies reflects the evolution of built uses in this part of Sydney.

The most recent use represents a conscious acceptance of adaptive reuse of existing building stock by government and private enterprise, reflecting the changing attitudes to heritage development in Sydney.

It still features an unusually richly detailed Queen Anne style warehouse facade, of a type now rare in Sydney.

Its incorporation of an imported proprietary fire-resistant cast-iron structural system is an early Sydney example of developing building science being used to address safety issues.

The Corn Exchange and Central Warehouse Buildings are the last remnants of this warehousing area, which serviced Sydney's developing commercial sector.