Wellington Buildings was one of the products of Western Australia's first mining boom in the 1890s and continues to stand tall, surrounded by a changing city, more than 100 years later.

The three-storey classical structure of shops and offices on the corner of Wellington and William streets owes its existence to the gold rush, according to Richard Offen, executive director of Heritage Perth.

"Overnight almost the centre of Perth was changed from a very sleepy-looking, sparsely built country town into this amazing metropolis," Mr Offen said.

Wellington Buildings as photographed on March 15, 1911. ( Supplied: State Library of Western Australia )

"The lot on this corner was originally granted to John Mitchell in 1837 who was bugler in the 63rd Foot Regiment — the regiment that was brought over to protect the colony.

"After he died his family sold a portion of the land to auctioneer Wesley Maley in 1886."

Oyster and billiard saloons

Maley built a number of single-storey shops on the site and his tenants included a jeweller, tobacconist, boot importer as well as an oyster saloon.

"Maley sold out to Henry Higham, described as the 'gentleman of Claremont' in 1906 and made a profit of £40,000," Mr Offen said.

It was Higham who demolished Maley's shops and commissioned architects Oldham and Cox to design what became the Wellington Buildings, built in 1910.

"The first tenants in this building were quite interesting," Mr Offen said.

"In the shops fronting Wellington Street were Grundy & Co, outfitters; Martha Shannon, ladies underclothing; and Watson's Supply Stores.

"The most important and largest shop was the Universal Shoe Stores, which occupied the shop on the corner.

"And there was a billiard saloon in the basement."

Wellington Buildings and the Royal Hotel (right) from the Horseshoe Bridge ca. 1924. The Raines, owners of the Royal Hotel, bought the Wellington Buildings in 1953. ( Supplied: State Library of Western Australia )

Wellington Buildings and the Royal Hotel still stand inside a redeveloped city centre. ( 720 ABC Perth: Emma Wynne )

The offices on the upper floors came to be occupied by people connected to the railways and a number of trade unions, including the WA Locomotive Drivers Union and the Laundry Employees Union.

The building stayed in the Higham family until 1953 when it was bought by Mary and Arnold Raine, who also owned the Royal Hotel on the opposite side of William Street.

Following Mary Raine's death in 1961, all of her properties were bequeathed to the University of Western Australia to fund the Raine Medical Research Foundation.

From the 1960s onward, the area around Wellington Buildings went into decline.

Shoppers preferred new suburban shopping malls and the shops along Wellington Street attracted little attention.

The catalyst for redeveloping the area came in 2002 when plans for a Perth to Mandurah train line were finalised.

A new city grows up around the old

The Perth Citylink development viewed from the Horseshoe Bridge. Wellington Buildings is visible on the left. ( ABC News: Briana Shepherd )

The state government decided to build the line underground from Perth station, and a new station, Perth Underground, was planned for the area below Wellington Buildings.

"As part of the development of 140 William Street and the creation of Perth Underground station, the Wellington Buildings had to be virtually taken apart and put back together, but it has been done beautifully," Mr Offen said.

"Upstairs is now the offices of West Australian Museum and all of the old woodwork and pressed tin ceilings remain."

On the other side of the road, the Wellington Buildings overlook the building site of the Perth Citylink and new bus station.

"This area now is probably experiencing the same sort of excitement that people were feeling in 1910 when Perth was getting a makeover then," Mr Offen added.