[1] The former Mossman Shire Hall and Douglas Shire Council Chambers, constructed 1936–1937, is a substantial civic building that reflects the importance of the sugar industry to north Queensland during the interwar period and is associated with the ascendancy of Mossman as a commercial and administrative centre and the decline of Port Douglas as an early regional centre.

The Mossman district, although initially taken up as homestead selections supplying fodder, maize and tropical fruits to the goldfields, converted to sugar-growing in the 1890s and prospered in the early twentieth century.

Despite this, in 1910 the township comprised little more than the Exchange Hotel, a store, butcher's shop, hall and timber church, clustered around the sugar mill.

[2] In the aftermath, and with the continued increase of both transient and permanent workers in the sugar industry, businesses at Port Douglas gradually gravitated to Mossman.

In 1932, however, the Queensland Government amended the Local Authorities Act so that governments-in-council could subdivide shires into divisions for election purposes.

His vision to construct a hall, shire offices and commercial shops (to make the venture viable) was supported by other councillors and the proposal went to tender in October 1934.

The council was split regarding the choice of design but eventually selected plans by well-known Cairns architects Richard Hill and AJH Taylor.

Its report outlined a range of issues that required attention and the architects were asked to amend plans and get their representative in Brisbane to liaise with them.

Although tenders for the construction of the hall were called in July 1935 it was not until November 1935 that builders Arthur Zillfleisch and Tom Booth were nominated.

The shire halls and council offices at Goondiwindi, Innisfail and Bowen, for example, all had ground floor, street-accessed retail spaces included as part of the design.

[1] The Mossman Shire Hall, with its drop screen, stage and orchestra pit and dressing rooms, was subsequently used for a range of community events and functions.

52, 20 June 2008) the built environment values listed as being notable and worthy of preservation include those related to Mossman being the administrative centre of the Shire.

[1] The former Mossman Shire Hall and Douglas Shire Council Chambers is a large rendered concrete building located on a level site in the centre of Mossman at the intersection of Mill Street (the main street of the town), Junction Road and the Captain Cook Highway.

Its western end comprises two storeys with its principal south-west elevation truncated to face the intersection and giving it prominence as a civic building in the centre of the town.

The hall and its ancillary facilities including supper lounge, stage and fly tower occupy the remainder of the building and are located east of the shops along Mill Street.

Three of the four shop fronts retain large metal framed display windows with recessed timber entrance doors and fixed panels (originally glazing) above.

[1] Above the awning, the north-west, south-west and southern elevations to the offices have been articulated with classical detailing including pilasters and entablature.

The doors are set within concrete block walls which have replaced lower level banks of louvres that extended to the ceiling of the hall.

[1] Adjacent to the north-east corner of the building is a small toilet block which is a later addition and partially conceals the early rear wall of the dressing room.

[1] The stair hall leading to the first floor offices from Mill Street consists of 25 treads in a single flight with timber handrails fixed to the walls.

Pairs of eight-light French doors opening to the north into the supper lounge are intact (although a few lights have been replaced), as is the timber floor.

The dressing rooms at either side of the stage have concrete walls, remain largely intact and follow the original plan.

Civic projects - including shire and town halls, offices and chambers; community swimming pools; roads; bridges; and street and park beautification schemes - were undertaken throughout Queensland at this period as a result of these schemes, and as a group these places are important in articulating a particular historical period, the impact of State government initiatives to combat the economic depression, and design concepts popular at the time.

It remains substantially intact and is important in illustrating the principal characteristics of a 1930s civic building located in the centre of town on the corner of Mossman's principal streets, combining council offices and meeting rooms, retail spaces, and a large public hall with entry foyer, stage, fly-tower and dressing rooms.