The building officially opened as Liverpool Irish Centre on 1 February 1965 hosting ceilis, music, drama performances as well as serving as a base for clubs and societies.

The building is of red brick on a square corner plot, with a stone-faced frontage to Mount Pleasant, decorated with neo-classical motifs and a central bay entrance.

The Wellington Rooms were designated a listed building (Grade II*) in the 1950s, but this official protection did not prevent the property becoming derelict after the Irish Centre closed in 1997.

[3] The building was placed on the national Heritage at Risk Register in 1999, and has been one of the sites featured in the Liverpool Echo's Stop the Rot campaign.

The building suffers from dry rot, dampness and loss of plaster from walls and ceiling which has been exacerbated by repeated lead theft from the roof.