The building was constructed on the Maryborough Courthouse reserve in 1940, replacing an early garden between the Court House and Wharf Street.

The precinct around Wharf Street encompasses the core of Maryborough's historical public and commercial buildings which sprang from the development of the city's wharves in the area in 1852.

In about 1856 a permanent court house and lockup for Maryborough were designed by Alexander Dawson, Colonial Architect of New South Wales.

By 1857 the New South Wales Government voted that the sum of £1000 be spent on the erection of a courthouse and lockup, but it seems this was not completed until the early 1860s (after the Separation of Queensland).

[1] FDG Stanley, the Colonial Architect of Queensland was responsible for the design of the new building which was completed by September 1875 when Stanley write a memo about his proposal:[1]the design has been arranged so as to place offices of the Department of Roads, Public Lands and Survey on the ground floor as being more readily accessible from the street, and the courts and offices associated therewith on the upper floor as being removed from noise and as being in a better position as regards ventilation.

The material to be employed is brick on stone foundations faced in cement when not covered by verandahs; the roof to be slated and the internal finishings of a plain substantial character.Stanley remained in the positions of Colonial Architect for effectively ten years, from 1871 until 1881, during which time and with the help of his staff he produced many fine public buildings throughout Queensland, including several Maryborough buildings.

The tender for the erection of the Maryborough Court House was won by John Thomas Annear with the sum of £7345 and work on the building was completed by 20 September 1877.

[1] The symmetrically composed Wharf Street facade of the Government Offices is divided into three bays, comprising the central portion and side wings.

The ground floor of the building displays rendered stone coursing and is lined with a number of round arched window openings.

[1] The side wings at either end of the building principally house the internal stairs and are distinguished externally by a central arched doorway to the street.

[1] The upper floor consists of numerous offices which flank either side of a narrow hall which runs the length of the central core of the building.

This floor is characterised by its high-quality timber features namely office doors and joinery and externally studded ceilings in a grid pattern.

[1] The rear of the building, the northern face, fronts onto a landscaped pedestrian walkway which runs between the government offices and the courthouse.

Other examples of this type of building include the Innisfail and Mackay Court Houses and the Government Offices in Cairns and Townsville.

The intact interior design features such as the strong room, the individual offices and the high quality of finishes also demonstrate the workings of state government administration at the time of construction.

The form, scale and fabric of the building illustrate a skilled design approach, and the detailing of the materials and finishes exhibit fine quality craftsmanship.