Design and construction In 1894, Government Architect
John Campbell was asked to start drafting plans for the building. It was eventually opened by Prime Minister Sir
Joseph Ward on 9 June 1909. The Minister in charge of the Public Trust,
Āpirana Ngata, invited a number of Members of Parliament and Wellingtonians to the opening event. The event included a lunchtime banquet, concert, and dance in the evening. The cost was estimated to be £40,000.
Occupation by Public Trust and Creative NZ The building was occupied by Public Trust from 1909 to 1982. In 1982, the Public Trust moved to a building next door.
Period of vacancy and renovation Doubts about the building's future were (again) raised following the
2013 Seddon earthquake. In 2013, Wellington City councillor
Andy Foster said the Public Trust building was one of the heritage buildings he would most like to see strengthened and saved. After it was largely evacuated, the building was bought by Maurice Clark, who was labelled a "hero" for taking on one of Wellington's largest heritage strengthening projects. From 2014 to 2015, the building was renovated and earthquake strengthened. The restoration work was undertaken by Maurice Clark's construction firm McKee Fehl with architects
Warren & Mahoney. The two companies also collaborated on the restoration of the now former
Defence House across the road on Stout Street. In May 2016, the restoration won two awards at the
New Zealand Institute of Architects Awards for 'Heritage' and 'Interior Architecture'. ==Heritage status==