The building previously housed the offices of the Dhaka City Corporation prior to the bifurcation of Dhaka as a result of the Local Government (City Corporation) Amendment Act 2011.

The building is situated near the University of Dhaka campus and adjacent to the Bangladesh Police headquarters.

[1] The building was designed by A. Imamuddin and Lailun Nahar Ekram, and was completed in 1995.

Masood Reza wrote: Nagar Bhaban is the result of a philosophy of assimilation and reflects a contemporary trend of rustic regionalism.

in this building represent a modernized version of colonial architecture - a symbol of imperial power.