The Brookman Building is named after the Hon. Sir George Brookman, MLC, who donated the first £15,000 for its construction in 1889. Brookman was a philanthropist, member of the Legislative Council for South Australia, Chairman of the Adelaide Electric Supply Company.  A Dissenter and son of a Glasgow printer, Brookman believed in the value of free education for all, and in particular technical education. The building is an imposing Federation-Gothic structure made of local bluestone and bricks. It was opened in 1903 to be used as a preparatory school for students entering the School of Mines, predecessor to The South Asutralian Institute of Technology (SAIT), and the University of South Australia (UniSA). In 1914 this school became the Junior Technical School, and then Adelaide Technical High School in 1918. In 1963, Adelaide Technical High School moved to another site, and the SAIT expanded into the Brookman Building space. In 1991 SAIT became part of UniSA.

In Adelaide Tech days, Brookman Hall was used for school assemblies, examinations, end of year speech days, and musical appreciation, when the school met for singing. Memories!

Extensive renovations to this heritage building were undertaken in 2005, when it became apparent there was a danger to passers-by from fragments falling off the pinnacles. At this time the whole building was cleaned and stabilized. Conservation decisions were based on an understanding of the need to alter as little as possible to maintain heritage significance. Where physical intervention was required, design solutions were based on traditional building methodologies, robustness of detailing, reversibility, and sensitivity to the heritage values of the building.