The Gaol was built in 1852 which consisted of men's cell blocks and warders' quarters for imperial convicts shipped to Western Australia as artisans and skilled labourers. The gaol was originally established with rehabilitation as a key principle and convicts sentenced to transportation from England, between 1850-1868 often served time in the gaol. Convicts who had obtained their ticket of leave, were hired by free settlers for labour. There was only one hanging at the Gaol on the 12 October, 1872. Peter McKean (alias William McDonald) was hanged for the murder of his neighbour, William "Yorkie" Marriott. The Gaol was extended in 1873 to become a public prison with women cells, the great hall and more warden's quarters being constructed.  It was last used as a police lockup in the Great Depression of the 1930s.

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Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O) Agent, William Carmalt Clifton encouraged his large staff at P&O to form a Co-operative Society.  In 1870, John Green constructed the purpose built building on the corner of Frederick and Spencer Street. Clifton became well known in Albany for his instrumental role in establishing the Co-op Society and putting the coaling station on a firm footing, organising the systems and management which enabled Albany to be an efficient transit point for P&O and then by other steamer companies later in the century.

Despite strong trading in the first decade, by 1878, business started to decline, mainly as a result of the regular shipping service between Albany and Melbourne that was in operation. The Co-operative Society was wound up in 1883.

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The decision to build the town hall was made in the early 1880s but due to insufficient finances and no building site allocated, the idea was met with controversy. The Council bought the site for £650 and the Governor donated £500 towards building costs. On 9th December, 1886, the Albany Town Hall’s foundation was laid by the Mayoress of Albany, Mrs Knight. The Architects were Henderson, Marriot and co. of Adelaide and the Clerk of Works was R. G. Foreman and the construction contractors were Messrs Harrison and Hamilton. The Albany Town Hall was opened by His Worship Mayor William Grills Knight on the 1st June, 1888. However, the town hall clock was not installed for a few years and on the 15th April, 1891 at 3pm, the clock started keeping time for the townspeople. The clock was made by William Potts of Leeds, England and installed by contractors Jackson & Brodie.

In 1857, the British Government offered to erect two lighthouses in Albany, one on Breaksea Island and the other at Point King, as long as the local government bear the running costs.  The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company as well as other steam and passenger ships greatly appreciate the idea and the lighthouse went ahead.  A stone and cast-iron lighthouse and keeper's quarters was built in 1858 using convict labour and provided much needed safety on the shipping route. A replacement lighthouse was completed in 1902 with addition ancillary and building quarters in 1908.  The remains of the 1858 lighthouse and keeper’s quarters building is the largest and most complete of its type in the Western Australia. In 1926 the lighthouse became automated and the keeper was withdrawn.

The old Albany District Hospital, now known as the Vancouver Arts Centre was completed in August 1888.  The Colonial Architect, George Temple Poole, designed the hospital complex which initially comprised of two large wards (male and female) along with the various other hospital requirements. The proposed female ward and associated verandah, toilets and bathroom were not built but the hospital was too small for the town’s needs and the women’s ward was built in 1896. In 1918 a infectious disease ward was constructed and in the following years, a morgue, orderlies room, laundry, operating theatre, night nurses quarters and carpenter’s shed were also built.  Over the years various renovations have been completed. In 1962 a new regional hospital was built at Spencer Park and the Vancouver Arts Centre opened in 1980.

Patrick Taylor Cottage is the oldest surviving dwelling in Western Australia, having been built by the Morley Brothers in 1832. John Lawrence Morley had served as a former sailor with the East India Company and was one of the first settlers in the area. The cottage was originally set on a 240 acre block (97 ha).  It was purchased by Patrick Taylor in July 1834 for £400 and the eleven room, wattle and daub cottage consists of an entry room, boxroom, parlour, nursery, bedroom, dining room, family room, sewing room, kitchen, laundry and side verandah. The wattle and daub construction represented the traditional building method used by the early settlers.  Patrick died in 1877 and his wife Mary lived in the cottage until her death in 1887. Patrick and Mary's son, inherited the property and the cottage was owned by the Taylor family into the 1950s.

In 1857, the British Government offered to erect two lighthouses in Albany, one on Breaksea Island and the other at Point King as long as the local government bear the running costs.  The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company as well as other steam or passenger ships greatly appreciate the idea and the lighthouse went ahead. The lighthouses were built during 1857 and on the 1st January 1858, with William Hill as the light keeper of Point King, the light shone for the first time, providing a key navigational light for the port and becoming only the second lighthouse built in Western Australia. The light was operated manually and the keeper lived in the dwelling where the tower was housed.  The lighthouse was used until June 1911 and the last keeper was Samuel Mitchell. 

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The Old Post Office was built in 1869, after requests from the Government Resident to the administration in Perth. Site works were completed by convict labour and the building was the region's first government building included postal, judicial, customs and a meeting place for the Road Board and local government. In 1875 the building was a base station for telegraphs linking the colony with Adelaide and the world. In July 1888 the last mail coach left Albany for Perth. In 1896, the tower was designed by architect George Temple Poole and construction of the tower was undertaken by contractors Tighe Brothers for a cost of £4500. Local architect Francis Bird supervised the project. In 1901 the clock tower was raised 6 metres. In 1964, the Post Office moved out of the building and today in is utilised as the Albany Campus for The University of Western Australia.

During the 19th century, the loss of the strategic port to any enemy naval squadron was recognised as a potential threat to the security of Australia.  All the Australian colonies agreed to proportionally pay for the construction of the fort with the Imperial British Government supplying the guns. The Princess Royal Fortress was opened in 1893, the first federal defence of Australia.  This was a pivotal point in history, as the federation of Australia was not formed until 1901 and demonstrated the cooperation between the colonies to protect the nation. Two gun batteries were dug into the hillside of Mount Adelaide. Fort Princess Royal with two Mark IV 6-inch BL guns and Fort Plantagenet with one six inch gun. The fortress was staffed by eight officers and five men of the South Australian Permanent Artillery in 1902.  In 1956, all coastal defenses were made redundant and closed.

The Quarantine Station located on the Vancouver Peninsular was established in 1874.  The necessity for a quarantine station arose after the number of ships arriving at Albany increased. This lead to demands for a quarantine station to be built close to the port. The station original consisted of two small buildings, which became inadequate and in 1897-8  a larger station was established. Many American servicemen lodged at the station for rest and recuperation and during World War II, the facility operated as a submarine base.  The station was used to deal with various epidemics such as influenza, smallpox and typhoid diseases until 1930. The station was decommissioned in 1956 and the Wheeler family leased the land and that same year changed the name to Camp Quaranup.

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In 1848, Reverend John Ramsden Wollaston was transferred to the Parish of St John’s, Albany. Here he found the parish church, started in 1835, partially completed with only the walls and part of the tower complete. The depressed economic conditions of the 1840s made building funds difficult to obtain, and the construction of the building came to a standstill. Attempts to continue the work were unsuccessful until 1848 and with characteristic determination and ignoring the parishioners’ assertions that the parish could not afford to completed the building, Reverend Wollaston completed the nave in a few months - just in time for the visit of Bishop Augustus Short and Archdeacon Hale of the new diocese of Adelaide. Bishop Short decided that enough of the structure was complete and on 25 October 1848 he consecrated the church.

Strawberry Hill Farm was initially established in 1827 and was the first government farm and the first wheat, maize and barley crops on the west coast. Major Edmund Lockyer, Dr Alexander Collie and John Morley selected the site and Captain Wakefield, Lieutenant Sleeman and Captain Collet Barker followed Lockyer's plan of continuing to develop the farm. The original cottage on the farm was built at the request of Governor Stirling and his wife, who stayed for the summer in Albany in 1831 and shortly after Dr Alexander Collie was appointed as the first Government Resident of Albany and moved into a small cottage situated on the farm. It is believed that Dr Collie named the farm Strawberry Hill after his crop of strawberries he had planted earlier where producing adequate fruit.  Sir Richard Spencer was appointed as the second Government Resident in 1833, he acquired the farm and built the existing building were he resided with his wife, Ann, nine children and eleven servants.