Gough Street Central School comprised of the Lower School, Upper School, and 3 outbuildings (inferred to be kitchen, latrines and coolie quarters from historical sources) on the Hollywood Road front. The campus measured 1,200 sq. m., and had entrances on Gough Street and Shing Wong Street. The buildings had a simple design that showed both Chinese and western architectural styles. For example, Chinese roof tiles were laid, Jalousie windows and verandahs in colonial style were adopted to accommodate the local Hong Kong climate. The then campus only had 5 schoolrooms, 2 at the Lower School accompanied by a lecture hall, and another 2 on the ground floor of the Upper School. The two school buildings were linked by an overhead bridge, and the Headmaster and Second Master used to live on the first floor of the Upper School. Three masters used to teach at the same time in a schoolroom, where 2 columns and 5 rows of long benches were set for up to a hundred pupils. The schoolrooms were poorly lit, but decorated with all kinds of posters on topics like mechanics, human biology and natural history to aid teaching. Central School became the first school in Hong Kong to be equipped with its own laboratories in 1869.

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歌賦街大書院校舍可分為低座、高座校舍，以一天橋連接；此外又設三座獨立建築物於荷李活道一側，以歷史資料推斷估計用作廚房、廁所及校工宿舍。校舍佔地約一千二百平方米，並分別於歌賦街及城隍街設入口。校舍設計簡潔，揉合中西建築特色，因應香港氣候於屋頂鋪中式瓦片、又設富殖民地色彩的百葉窗及開放式遊廊以確保建築物通風，西側更種有竹樹。當時，整座校舍只有合共五個課室：低座設兩個課室及一講堂；高座地下另設兩個課室，頂樓則為教員宿舍。課室各有兩列五行、共十張連椅長枱在台階上，三張桌子放於課室前方供三位老師同時講學；課室牆壁貼滿如機械、人體結構、自然科學等教學海報，希望讓學生更易明白這些「西洋學」奧妙之處。大書院於1869年設實驗室的學校，為本港首間。