The town developed to serve the surrounding industries of the Swanfels Valley: timber getting, sandstone quarrying, dairying, and mixed farming.

[1] The first Yangan School of Arts building (erected c. 1898) was located on the northern (high) side of King Street.

Resub 1 of sub 1 of portion 205 containing 18.5 perches (now lot 1) was acquired by Trustees, Redmond Brewer, Alexander Kemp jnr, and Thomas Kirkland on behalf of the School of Arts in September 1911.

A short article in the Warwick Argus described the School of Arts as "a well-found little institution of high public utility ... on Saturday night 80 books issued from the library.

At the Annual General Meeting of the Yangan School of Arts in 1946 it was noted that support by the public was lacking but still, although the war had hampered the institution and owing to radio and pictures having their effect, [they were] still able to carry on.

[1] Nearly fifty years later, despite the decline of the town's fortunes epitomised by the closure of the Warwick to Killarney railway on 1 May 1964, the Yangan School of Arts, unlike many of its sister institutions, lives on.

Although with the recent introduction of a council mobile library service, the future of the School of Arts library is uncertain, the Yangan School of Arts remains a valuable local institution overseen by its Secretary of 43 years, Gus Mauch with its facilities used by more than a dozen local groups including the local play group, Ladies Guild, Queensland Country Women's Association, Queensland Dairymen's Organisation, National Party, Returned and Services League, Graingrowers, Bush Firebrigade, and Sports Association.

[1] The village of Yangan lies in the Swanfels Valley some 18 kilometres (11 mi) to the east of Warwick, on the banks of Swan Creek.

Also on the site is a timber and corrugated iron toilet block to the east, and a tennis shed clad in fibrous cement to the south, neither of which are of cultural heritage significance.

To the west and south of the site are clay tennis courts, and to the east is the Police Station and lock-up.

[1] The building is a simple, timber-framed structure on low timber stumps, with a hipped corrugated iron roof.

There is a frieze of flat pressed metal panels to the entry porch, and to the ends of the bull nosed roofs.

The cladding to this northern facade is chamferboard, but on the other three faces and the parapet this has been replaced by fibrous cement planks.

[1] Yangan School of Arts was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992 having satisfied the following criteria.

In Queensland the Schools of Arts were the forerunners of the government operated public libraries, technical colleges, and cultural centres.

The School of Arts is in essence a simple timber vernacular public building, but its decorative frontal emphasis of the gabled entry porch and verandah clad in filigree screen is a deliberate gesture to demonstrate the civic prominence of the building, and to formally address the town's main street.

The Yangan School of Arts has for nearly a century fulfilled an important cultural, educational, and social role for the town and its district.