[2] The facility replaced the old city chambers, which had been completed at the east end of the High Street, close to the River Tay, in 1696.

[4] The building was adjoined to the north in 1887 by Perth Middle Church, which filled the remainder of the block to George Inn Lane.

[3][10] The municipal buildings were badly damaged in a fire on 23 January 1895 and, although the fire-proof record room survived,[11] much of the structure had to be rebuilt in a programme of works which was completed in 1896.

[12] A stone engraving above the southernmost door on the Tay Street elevation reads: "This House Loves Peace • Hates Knaves • Crimes Punisheth • Preserves The Laws And Good Men Honoureth".

[16] The northern part of the building, which faced Tay Street, was developed for residential use in the late 1980s but the remainder of the property continued to be used by the council for administrative purposes until 2011.