The building was commissioned to replace a previous guildhall which had been located near Swansea Castle and dated back to the late 16th century.[2] The new building, which was designed by John Collingwood in the neo-classical style and built by Thomas Bowen, was completed in 1829.[1] It was remodelled to the plans of Thomas Taylor in 1852 using a design which was modelled on the Temple of Jupiter Stator in Rome.[1] The external design involved nine bays on each side with round-arched windows on the ground floor and tall round-arched windows flanked by Corinthian order columns on the first floor.[1]

It was converted for use as a juvenile employment centre after the civic leaders moved to the new Swansea Guildhall in 1934.[3] During the Second World War it was requisitioned by the army for use as a recruiting centre.[4] After reverting to use as a juvenile employment centre, it became a College of Further Education in 1960 and then became an annexe to Dynevor School in 1970 before closing in 1982.[4][5]

The building was officially re-opened by the American former President Jimmy Carter and the last Leader of the Swansea City Council, Trevor Burtonshaw, as the Dylan Thomas Centre in 1995.[6][7] In 2012 a large part of the Centre was leased by Swansea's council to the University of Wales with the purpose of using it as a business centre for creative industries.[8]

In October 2014, the Centre launched the permanent "Love the Words" exhibition which explores Dylan's life and work through a variety of media and including letters, books, worksheets and photographs.[9] It was made possible with support of nearly £1 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund.[10][11]

The Dylan Thomas Centre is home to a year-round programme of literary events, including book launches, plays, poetry evenings, changing exhibitions and science talks.[12] It also hosts the annual Dylan Thomas Festival held between Dylan’s birth and death dates, 27 October to 9 November