[2] A Reserve for the Harbour Master's Department of 1 rood 30 perches (1,800 m2) was surveyed in 1862 between the corner of Alice and Edward streets and the river, and a stone and brick building was erected that year.

Colonel Sir William Jervois of the Royal Engineers, assisted by Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Scratchley, toured the Australian colonies to make recommendations for defence arrangements and the pair visited Queensland in August 1877.

The first vessel of Queensland's new navy to be delivered was the steel, second-class spar torpedo boat "Mosquito", which arrived as deck cargo in Brisbane in October 1884.

[1][9] The main strength of the QMDF, the sister Alpha class gunboats "Gayundah" (meaning Thunder) and "Paluma" (Lightning), ordered from Britain in 1883[10] and launched in 1884, arrived in March 1885 and May 1885 respectively.

[1][11] The "Gayundah" sailed to Queensland under Commander (later Captain) Henry Townley Wright, a retired Royal Navy officer.

[12] Wright was appointed as Senior Naval Officer (SNO) and Superintendent of the QMDF on 30 March 1885, as well as remaining in command of the "Gayundah".

The "Gayundah" was used to train QMDF seamen, while the "Paluma" was used on survey work by the British Admiralty until being handed back to Queensland in 1895.

[1] By 1896, the old Port Office used by the QMDF was in a poor state and the foundations, inundated during the 1893 floods, were settling and causing wall cracks.

On 1 August 1899 the QMDF's Staff Paymaster, Edward Vincent Pollock, also complained that the roof was leaking water onto his paperwork.

[1][18] In May 1900 it was decided by Queensland's new Naval Commandant, Captain William Rooke Creswell, that the new offices would replace the cottage of the Marine Department's messenger/caretaker at the corner of Edward and Alice Streets.

[1] Plans for the new Naval Offices were approved by AB Brady, the Government Architect within the Department of Public Works (DPW), on 14 September 1900,[19] but since he was trained as an engineer it is unlikely to be his design.

[22] "The Queenslander" reported on 16 November 1901 that the building's facing bricks were dark-brown, relieved with cement dressings and rough-cast work.

The Annual Report for DPW to 30 June 1901 (where the Naval Offices was listed under principal works completed during the year) mentioned internal fittings of pine and cedar.

The original ground floor plan included an entry porch off Edward Street, with double doors leading north-west into a public space which was separated by a counter from the Clerk's office.

The latter was a large open space used as an Orderly (Administrative) Room, with four fireplaces and a small lavatory and store at the right rear (eastern) corner.

After the Australian Commonwealth was formed on 1 January 1901 the defence forces of the separate colonies were transferred to the new Federal Government in March.

[1][26] At the time of Federation, Queensland's naval forces numbered 750 men of all ranks, and it was one of four states (including Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia) to contribute ships to the Australian Commonwealth Naval Force (ACNF), formed on 1 March 1901 – handing over the "Gayundah", "Paluma", "Mosquito" and "Midge".

On 10 July 1911 King George V granted the title "Royal Australian Navy" to the ACN and in October 1913 formal control of these units was transferred to the Commonwealth Naval Board.

February 1933 plans included the addition of a first floor rear verandah with an enclosed laundry and new stairs from the side yard.

At the same time the first floor was converted into a residence for the Senior Naval Officer, and the large space was partitioned into domestic rooms.

The internal stairway from the main ground floor hall was removed, so the upstairs residence could only be accessed from the old Brigade Entrance or the new rear verandah.

The Smellie and Co. warehouse (Old Mineral House) opposite the Naval Offices was used by the US Red Cross before becoming an Australian Comforts Fund hostel for the Royal Navy in 1945.

The Edward Street site was surplus to Commonwealth requirements but, as it was included on the Register of the National Estate by this time, a decision was made to lease the property for 99 years rather than sell it.

Windows are large and rectangular with brick lintels and timber-framed, double-hung sashes with slender, moulded-timber glazing bars.

The hipped roof overhangs the upper floor, has bracketed timber eaves and is clad with roll and pan metal sheet.

[1] The building is two-storey with an asymmetrical, single-storey projection to Edward Street accommodating the entry portico and former public reception area.

[1] A decorative wrought iron gate opens to the entry portico where the floor is finished with tessellated encaustic tiles with slate thresholds and the ceiling is v-jointed timber boards.

[1] The ground floor plan is organised around a central stair hall running front to back with two main rooms on either side.

A rear yard has an enclosure for mechanical equipment and a garden with trees and shrubs – the vegetation is not considered to be of cultural heritage significance.

The building has a highly-functional, rational plan; is well constructed using high-quality, durable materials sourced from Queensland; and has a quality of civic dignity achieved through style, scaling, and form.