The first institute in Australia was formed in Hobart in 1827, followed by Sydney in 1833, from which date the movement rapidly spread throughout the rest of the colony.

[1] The impetus for a School of Arts was provided by Edward Bytheway, early settler and shopkeeper, and later mayor.

Bytheway was involved in many community organisations including the local hospital and the Agricultural, Pastoral and Mining Company.

Most Schools of Arts established in Queensland were driven by community minded men, usually middle or upper class, many with political aspirations.

[1] It was decided that a new building was required as early as 1890, however the institute was financially insecure, owing to poor subscription levels.

[1] Local architect, Hugo Du Rietz, who had previously served on the School of Arts committee, was requested to draw up plans for a new building which was not to exceed £1500.

New forms of entertainment such as the radio, increases in car ownership resulting in a more mobile community, world wars and the economic collapse of the 1930s all contributed to reductions in membership.

At the end of 1975, the School of Arts Trustees resigned and the administration of the library was taken over by the Gympie City Council.

[1] The building is of brown face brick laid in English bond, with deep red voussoirs over the windows.

A door is located at the rear, below the central window, which allows access to a new toilet block abutting the building.

[1] Internally, walls have been removed on the ground floor to create an open space and partitions have recently been erected around the perimeter of room.

The door entering the kitchen at the rear of the ground floor has been extended to form a double-leafed opening, and the stair is enclosed with new partitioning.

This room is a large open space with symmetrically placed windows and doors and a pressed metal cornice.

A set of double leafed doors opening onto the verandah are centrally located within the front wall.

[1] Gympie School of Arts was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 23 April 1999 having satisfied the following criteria.

It is one of many School of Arts constructed throughout Queensland in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as part of an attempt to promote mental and moral improvement of the working classes.

The Gympie School of Arts is of aesthetic significance due to its simplicity and symmetry of design, and for its contribution to the streetscape.

The place has strong associations with the community of Gympie due to its continued use as a library and educational facility.

[1] The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history.