The Commercial Building constructed around the second decade of the twentieth century, adjacent to the Court House on Guinness Street in Greymouth, is significant for its historical use as legal offices and for its contribution to the streetscape in the centre of the town. Situated on Māori Freehold Land, the Commercial Building is part of the Greymouth CBD historic area (List No. 7052) and may incorporate an earlier building that was situated on this site on the corner of Guinness and Albert Streets. General images of Greymouth in 1909 and 1910 show a structure on this corner site that appears residential and most likely constructed of timber. By circa 1910 William Joseph Joyce, Barrister & Solicitor, occupied this site and his brick office building was built here some time after this. Most likely, it was constructed soon after a new Court House (List No. 5016) was built in 1912 on the land parcel immediately to the east of the corner site. The Commercial Building is a single storeyed office building, constructed of brick with a corrugated steel hipped roof. It is rectangular in plan and its main (south) façade, fronting Guinness Street, has two entrances and six sash windows. On the west façade, fronting Albert Street, are three sash windows. The east façade has three sash windows surmounted by a plain brick parapet. The main decorative feature of the Commercial Building is its polychromy, with contrasting red bricks and three cream coloured bands of painted brick or stone. The adjacent Court House has a much more elaborate façade fronting Guinness Street but its rear has a plainer elevation of brick that bears some similarity to the elevations of the Commercial Building. William (Bill or Billy) Joyce was a prominent West Coast lawyer. He worked as an amiable and well-respected solicitor and barrister in Greymouth until his unexpected death as a result of post-operation complications at the age of 60 in 1931. The Commercial Building continued to be used as law offices. Wises list the firm of Joyce & Taylor in 1940 operating in Guinness Street, and from circa the 1980s, the law firm of Carruthers, Wetherall has operated from the building since.