This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. The following text is from the original Building Classification Committee report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration: DESCRIPTION: The Nelson School Society first met in 1842 and the first school building was erected in 1844. The Society aimed to encourage, promote and provide for the education of children in the settlement area. Following the establishment of the Nelson Provincial Council in 1853, the Nelson School Society received more generous grants from public funds and then in 1856 the Provincial Council took over responsibility of the Society's schools and a Central Board of Education was established. Construction of the girls' and infants' school in Hardy Street began soon after the site was conveyed to the Superintendent of the Province of Nelson on 2 November 1860. It was originally granted to George William Schroder in 1851. The school opened on 18 February 1861 and contained a girls' schoolroom, an infants' schoolroom, a classroom and a sitting and sleeping room for the mistress. By 1886 erection of a new school building in Hardy Street had been proposed but it was eventually decided to improve the existing building. In 1896 the decision was made to amalgamate the Hardy and Tasman Street Schools and in 1897 the Nelson Education Board moved into what was now the former Hardy Street Girls' School building. They remained there until 1928 when the Public Works Department moved in. In 1943 the Public Works Department became the Ministry of Works and following corporatisation on 1 April 1988, Works and Development Services Corporation (NZ) Ltd. Works Corp still occupies the north-west part of the building as well as Jamieson House, 19 Hardy Street, which was purchased in June 1964 and annexed to the school building soon after. Nelson Polytechnic has occupied the remainder of the school building since the beginning of 1989.

This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. The following text is from the original Building Classification Committee report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration: ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION: The former Hardy Street School for Girls is a collection of disparate parts around a core which is the original 1860 building. These parts have, from time to time, been renovated and remodelled, sometimes more than once, through to the 1980s. The original portion of the complex is an L-shaped building. Its present principal facade is to Hardy Street, with the second wing at right angles, extending away from Hardy Street. These two original wings are typical of the Gothic Revival style favoured in the mid- nineteenth century for educational and ecclesiastical buildings. The steeply pitched roofs are punctuated by decorative gablets the ends of which are adorned by trefoils. There are ventilators on the ridges of both wings. Walls have vertical board and batten cladding. The windows in the original portion which align with the gablets, are divided into groups of three, the middle one of which has a fanlight above. Each window has a geometric hood mould. There is a wall grill ventilator between each group of windows. The wing on the Hardy Street frontage appears to have been extended on the east end and a further extension to the south forms a gable over the present entrance way. Both these extensions maintain the original ridge and roof lines, but they have no gablets or ridge ventilators, the window architraves are larger and hood moulds are simpler, for there are no fanlights to match the earlier windows. Vertical cladding of the walls is maintained. The wing extending from Hardy Street has later been continued, to the north in two stages, with a further extension on the west side, parallel with the Hardy Street frontage. While these extensions maintain the ridge and roof lines and the vertical cladding, there are no gablets or ventilators. They have four-light casement windows grouped variously in threes and fours and without hood moulds. Further additions, each generally conforming externally to the overall architectural style, have been accreted in the angles formed by the original wings and their extensions. All these parts form a single continuous structure, which is now attached to Jamieson House, formerly its immediate neighbour. The interiors of all of these parts have been much altered during successive stages of renovation, additions and remodelling. The arched brace roof framing can still be seen below the false ceilings but many internal walls have been relocated, and walls, floors and ceilings have been relined. MODIFICATIONS: There have been many additions and alterations. These include: 1861 Addition of south-east corner. Date unknown Removal of oriel window from the south gable. c.1882 Additions to the west of the original north wing including ablution block and verandah. c.1887 Unspecified additions to the value of £200. Probably early 1900s Addition of long wing running north of the west additions. 1950s Flat roofed wing added in two sections to the north of the original north wing. c.1964 Building annexed to Jamieson House. 1986 Flat roof of 1950s addition replaced with pitched roof. Removal of internal walls in the two north wings. Space between two north wings filled in. Space between school building and Jamieson House filled in. 1988 Further internal alterations including relocation of services in Jamieson House