Governor John Hunter began Old Government House in 1799, clearing the remains of Arthur Phillip's cottage and erecting a more permanent building on the same site. Convicts built it. The house was enlarged in 1815 to a design by John Watts, and Governor Lachlan Macquarie's work in 1818 completed the main house and the two side pavilions. Francis Greenway is credited with the central portico.
The article calls the style Old Colonial Georgian with Palladian characteristics. It has a two-story central block, two single-story pavilions and an entrance hall with a painted wooden floor in black and white, since marble was unavailable. A section of brick flooring from July 1790 survives.
The King's School used the house from 1910 to 1970. It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2010 and is open to visitors.
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