This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. The following text is the original citation considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. This building located on Timaru's main street is probably the most historically significant structure in the city. It was built in 1874 as offices for the Gladstone Board of Works. This body, a precursor of the Timaru Borough Council, was one of the political divisions that led to the disintegration of the Provincial system in 1876. Gladstone was one of the two electoral districts which returned members to the House of Representatives 1866-1881. One of the few remaining bluestone buildings in Timaru, it is two-storey and rectangular in plan with a shallow hipped roof. Recent unobtrusive additions have been made to the rear of the building. The original portion of the building is presently used for storage by government departments. Representative of South Canterbury's separate identity and growth as an independent region, the Gladstone Board of Works building is of very great local historical significance.