ðə bˈɪldɪŋz dɪzˈaɪn, baɪ hˈɛnɹi fɹˈænsɪs lˈɑːkwʊd ænd wˈɪljəm mˈɔːsən, wʌz tʃˈoʊzən fɹʌm mˈoːɹ ðɐn twˈɛntitˈuː dɪzˈaɪnz səbmˈɪɾᵻd dˈʊɹɹɪŋ æn wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹɾi nˈaɪn kˌɑːmpətˈɪʃən.
The building's design, by Henry Francis Lockwood and William Mawson, was chosen from more than twenty-two designs submitted during an 1849 competition.