[3] A venue to share facilities and operate from a centralised headquarters had been discussed since the 1870s and, in 1905, a committee was formed to that end but World War I and lack of finances forestalled the plan until the 1920s.

When the site at the corner of Essex and Gloucester Streets was granted by the NSW Government in July 1927, an architectural competition was held by the Royal Australian Institute of Architects in 1928 with a first prize of £250.

The ground floor has been skilfully arranged to accommodate both lecture halls and, to meet the irregular angles in the boundaries of the site, the elevations are excellent and admirably suitable for the dignified purpose of the building.

On 3 January 1933 it was announced that Peddle, Thorp and Walker had been awarded the inaugural Sulman Medal for the design of Science House.

During this time the large auditorium continued to be used for talks, and the building housed 11,000 books and journals and 1,000 films covering many areas of sport.

The New South Wales Hall of Champions was installed in 1982, which included a Sports Museum to commemorate outstanding sportsmen and women of NSW.

[6] In 2016 it was announced that the NSW Government would sell more than $100 million worth of commercial property in The Rocks in order to preserve and enhance the historic area and Science House was included.

Science House sits on the south-western corner of the intersection of Gloucester and Essex Streets at Church Hill, Sydney.

The designs of the principal facades in Gloucester and Essex Streets are divided into three architectural zones mirroring the exaggerated ground floor, piano nobile and attic storey of the Florentine Early Renaissance palazzo type.

[2] As of March 2022[update], the new owner, Denwol Group, has undertaken that the whole building will be "refurbished to high quality heritage standard".

[12] Science House and site are of State Heritage significance for their historical and scientific cultural values, including their contribution to The Rocks area.