[1] Townsville was established in 1864 by partners John Melton Black and Robert Towns and was gazetted as a port of entry in 1865.

Burns moved to Sydney in 1877 and established himself as an importer and shipping agent, while Philp continued business in the north.

[1] Burns Philp developed rapidly during the boom of the 1880s and Townsville owed much of its importance to the fact that it was the headquarters of this company.

Within a decade of Burns' arrival in Townsville, the company dominated trade in North Queensland, supplying a huge range of goods and establishing branches in such places as Charters Towers.

Its shipping business was so important that the North Queensland Insurance Company was initially formed in 1886 to cover its own maritime interests.

[1] The land on which the Queensland Building stands was originally purchased by Robert Towns and John Melton Black in 1867.

Sydney-based architect Mark Cooper Day, who had just completed a house for Sir James Burns at Parramatta, was engaged to design the building.

Construction was carried out by the Brisbane builders John Petrie and Son and supervised by local architects Eyre and Munro.

The position of the new offices in relationship to the existing Burns Philp and Company building on the other side of the intersection may have been taken into account in the design, so that two company buildings harmonious in scale and design formed a gateway to the Burns Philp wharves on Ross Creek beyond.

During the 1970s and early 1980s, the building was tenanted by a doctor who used the two lower floors as consulting rooms and who filled in the arches of the arcade with windows.

The exterior of the building is little changed in form, although some of the surface decoration carried out in moulded render, which can be seen in early photographs, has been removed.

It is flanked by a 3 bay arcade on each side, the round headed arches being separated by pilasters with Doric capitals.

It is located on the major intersection of Wickham and Flinders Streets, where, by its design, form and materials, it makes a substantial visual contribution to the character of the city.

[1] The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history.