Constructed by RE Burton for £11,700, it was an investment for three Queensland politicians – Boyd Dunlop Morehead, then Premier; William Pattison, Treasurer; and John Stevenson, member for Clermont – during a decade of enormous population growth and land development in Brisbane.

[1][2] Since the 1820s, the north bank and adjacent ridgeline of the Brisbane River, now containing William and George Streets, has always featured a concentration of government and associated activities and uses.

The establishment phase following the separation of Queensland in 1859 saw the new colonial government reserve land parcels and construct a range of buildings to facilitate its functions.

The distinctive use of face brickwork relieved with stone or rendered detailing and steep dominant roof forms are characteristics of his work.

[16] Other Addison-designed buildings include the Albert Street Uniting Church in Brisbane and the Strand Theatre in Toowoomba Addison's skills and distinctive style of domestic architecture were recognised and attracted business from Queensland's leading professionals.

Addison called tenders for the construction of The Mansions viz "city residences in George street" in the Brisbane Courier on 29 September 1888, closing on 15 October.

The Mansions was designed to be impressive and aesthetically pleasing, using high quality materials, generous use of ornamentation and careful composition of building forms, the six individual houses being unified by the overriding use of arcades and the arrangement, in alternating pairs, of entries and roof dormers.

Soon after the residences were completed in late 1889 The Boomerang described them as:[1][20]"unique in their way, being built after the Queen Anne style of red brick with stone facing.

[1][23] Elite tenants began to occupy the well-located residences from 1889 but the economic downturn which culminated in the 1893 depression denied full occupancy.

[27] In December 1891, Dr Lilian Cooper, Queensland's first woman doctor and Australia's first female surgeon, established her consulting rooms in The Mansions and resided there for several years after the 1893 floods.

[28][29] Pattison moved from The Mansions in July 1891 and a Mrs Prince, previously of Glencairn, Wickham Terrace advertised that she had leased:[1][30]"the Hon.

[37] A shortage of accommodation for administrative offices in State-owned buildings had been identified immediately after World War II when the Queensland Government began to expand their activities considerably in Brisbane city.

The shortage of office accommodation in the Brisbane central business district, and the need to address future requirements, led to a phase of governmental property acquisition in the city.

Walls were removed, new doorways made, fireplaces blocked, internal partitions installed, concrete floors for toilets added and all stairs except one at the rear of no.

Original details including dado panelling in the halls and dining rooms, and leadlight sidelights on the front doors were removed.

[1][45] A 1974 "George Street Masterplan" involved lower rise buildings spread out over greater areas and the demolition of the Bellevue Hotel and The Mansions.

A major influence in ultimately shaping the layout of the area during the 1970s was the growing community support for the retention of older buildings within the government precinct.

[46] The campaign highlighted the government-related associations and links between buildings, their architectural qualities, and aesthetic contributions to the area in submissions to the government and in the public sphere.

[47] The unannounced June 1974 removal of the balconies of the Bellevue Hotel was a deliberate action by the Queensland Government to degrade the visual appearance of the area, and drew further attention to the conservation cause.

[1][48] Ultimately the Bellevue Hotel was demolished in April 1979 after Cabinet adopted a recommended schedule of demolition work to further the development of the government precinct.

On 21 April, three days after this decision, the Bellevue Hotel was demolished in the early hours of the morning, a notorious event in the history of heritage conservation in Queensland causing a furore of public complaint.

[1][53] On 28 April 1986 Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen officially opened the Government Precinct Development incorporating the State Works Centre, the renovated Harris Terrace and The Mansions.

[1][54] In 2015, it was announced that The Mansions would be restored and used as an up-market tea house, dining and bar, and serviced apartments as part of the Queen's Wharf Redevelopment.

The building is visibly separated into six houses unified by the facade - a deep arcade of arches on the ground and first floors along both street fronts.

Short cast iron colonettes (thin columns) have Ionic order capitals incorporating garland swags, carved limestone panels, and entrances accentuated by triangular pediments.

The Mansions (1889) is important in demonstrating the evolution of urban development in colonial Queensland as a result of the 1880s land boom, especially in the capital city Brisbane.

[1] It demonstrates the pattern of development of the Brisbane CBD with lower George Street as a prestigious residential area associated with parliament and the site of professional offices from the 1860s.

Potential exists at the rear of The Mansions for archaeological materials including footings and foundations associated with the former servants' and kitchen wings, and objects and refuse commonly found within domestic contexts, particularly ceramic, glass and personal items.

[1] The Mansions are also an excellent example of the work of George Henry Male Addison, a designer who made an important contribution to Queensland's built environment.

Stylistically these highly finished and ornate terrace houses are unlike any others in Queensland but are characteristic of Addison's work as an accomplished designer achieving maximum effect with roof form and face brickwork relieved with stone detailing.