Opened on 27 May 1881, the Museum was built to house a large collection of objects obtained from around the world by Dr. Schomburgk, the then Director of the Adelaide Botanic Garden, which some are still on display today.

The Museum is listed on the Register of the National Estate, 1980; Register of State Heritage Items, 1982; classified by the National Trust; and on the Register of City of Adelaide Heritage Items, 1985.

Grieve Gillett Architects was commissioned as the conservation architect to restore the interior of the Museum to its former glory. The Museum was reopened to the public in May 2009 after the display cases were fitted out and the historical collection was restored. The second stage of the project involved restoration of the building exterior.

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Grieve Gillett Architects received the 2012 Australian Institute of Architects (SA) David Saunders Award for Heritage in recognition of their skilful restoration and refurbishment of the State Heritage listed 1881 Museum of Economic Botany.

The Adelaide Botanic Garden’s 1881 Museum of Economic Botany was conceived as a place to study and promote the value of botany within colonial South Australia. The building was designed by notable South Australian Architect EJ Woods and was a reflection of contemporary botanic and agricultural museums of the period. The building fell into disrepair by the 1990s. The Garden wished to restore the structure and reinstate the original internal layout as part of a project in the late 2000s. Grieve Gillett Architects was engaged in 2008 to restore significant building fabric and assist in the reinstatement
of the 1880s museum layout, but with 21st century services and a new curatorial room.
 

All conservation decisions by the project team were based upon the principles and guidelines of the Aust ICOMOS Burra Charter. The resultant project has breathed new life into a significant, but suffering jewel in the crown of the Adelaide Botanic Garden. Visitor numbers have increased since opening and the Museum once again stands as a
significant part of the 19th century character of the Botanic Garden.