[1] During the latter part of World War II, sections of the building were occupied by the Australian Government Department of Supply and Shipping.

[4][5] The inaugural classes of the Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts were held in the building in January 1998.

The facade features austere classical detailing with string courses dividing the floor levels.

[1] The ground floor level features, on the western side, a cart entrance and internal laneway which leads to a rear courtyard.

The rear of the building has an internal hoist and motor under a curved corrugated iron roof with hinged landings at each level.

Alterations to the building include the removal of some floor structure and the insertion of partitioning to accommodate a cinema and cafeteria.

The Metro Arts Centre is significant for the evidence it provides, along with other surviving nineteenth and early twentieth century warehouses, of the scale of the former warehousing area in that part of the city.

The Metro Arts Centre is significant as a good and rare example of a late Victorian warehouse.

The Metro Arts Centre is significant as a good and rare example of a late Victorian warehouse.

The building is also significant for its visual contribution to the character and continuity of the Edward Street streetscape.