The Toowoomba Court House is located at the corner of Margaret and Neil Streets, one of the main intersections in Toowoomba. It is sited adjacent to the
Toowoomba Post Office and complements it in style, form and material. These two buildings, together with the Police Station in Neil Street form a precinct of Government buildings, creating a landmark in the streetscape. The Court House building comprises the main section facing Margaret Street which is constructed of sandstone. At the rear of this are three additional wings, of which the two end ones are connected to the main section and the central one is freestanding. Although constructed of a different type of stone, the wing facing Neil Street is similar in design to the main section. The remaining two wings are of a more simplistic design and are of a rendered finish which is painted. New landscaping surrounds the front of the building, whilst the rear of the site is asphalted for use as a carpark. The original stables, reconstructed as a garage, are located at the rear of the site behind the eastern wing. The building is accessed by a set of shallow steps which lead to a central projecting bay with three open arches at the front and one at each side, creating an open
portico at ground level. Within each of the three front arches are sets of
wrought iron gates. The pillars between the arches have bases of rock-faced stone, margined and chiselled with simple mouldings above. A
keystone is located at the centre of each arch. Entry into the building itself is via two sets of cedar doors with glass panels and side lights. They sit on either side of an arched panel recessed into the wall. The doors on the eastern side enter into a ground floor office, whilst the western doors open into an entrance space in front of the central staircase. The first level is enclosed, with three sets of double hung windows with fanlights positioned above the three archways at the front and above the archways at either end. The solid sections between the windows form engaged
pilasters with decorative relief carved capitals and simply moulded bases. Smaller decorative panels are located between each window at the height of the window head. A triangular
gable is located over the projected bay with 1878–1979 in bronze within the gable and the words COURT HOUSE in bronze lettering across the
entablature. Behind the central gable is an octagonal light lantern which internally, is located over the court house gallery. The pattern of windows separated by engaged pilasters continues across the front of the building, with keystones above each
fanlight. The side elevations of this section of the building are similar in detail to the front, with similar windows, but no pilaster detail. Doors are located on the eastern side and comprise two narrow leaves which are panelled, with a fanlight above. The ground level of the Neil Street wing is constructed of a darker stone, which is ?-faced. A centrally located door with a semi-circular protruding hood is flanked by three deeply recessed arched windows. The door itself is recessed within a timber lined section and is of glass with an aluminium frame. The upper section of the wing is rendered and painted with seven evenly spaced rectangular windows, deeply recessed with aluminium frames. An entablature divides the ground and first levels and another is located at the top of the first floor, surmounted by a
parapet. The southern elevation of this wing is rendered and painted on both levels, with arched windows on the lower level and corresponding rectangular windows on the upper level. The remaining two rear wings are similar in design to the rendered section of the Neil Street wing, with the easternmost wing having an external timber stair at the rear. The building has a gabled roof, the main part of which runs east west and is intersected by the gable of the
porch and the hipped roofs of the rear wings. Internally the building has been substantially altered. The most intact areas are the central staircase and the court room, now used as a lecture theatre. The court room retains many original features including decorative cast iron
columns supporting the gallery, timber
trusses, cedar joinery and an octagonal light lantern. Original details such as joinery and fireplaces are evident in some areas, but new partitioning and reconfiguration of the spaces to connect with the rear wings has reduced the original spaces. Features of interest but not part of the original fabric include 1943 balustrades and
stairs which are concrete, natural in colour at the sides and red in the centre. == Heritage listing ==