Although it once housed the Attorney-General of Singapore, its original function was as the Government Printing Office. When the Printing Office moved out to Serangoon Road, the building was taken over by the Public Works Department. It is now part of Singapore Parliament.
A colonial-era government building that is part of the new Parliament House complex, the 19th century building, gazetted a national monument on 14 February 1992, has been through several rounds of renovation to suit changing requirements and architectural tastes. The core of the building is far older than its early 20th-century Edwardian façade. The first building on the site was the one-storey Court House annexe, built c.1839. This was later either replaced by, or enlarged into, a two-storey building that housed the Government Printing Office. In 1906, funds were approved for its substantial rebuilding.
The Public Works Department occupied the building from the late 1960s to 1976, and it was subsequently renovated to become the Attorney-General's Chambers. The building was vacated in 1992 so that it could be restored and incorporated into the new Parliament House complex.