Queensland's Department of Environment and Heritage Protection has recommended brick buildings in Margaret Street known as the Bonded Stores buildings be included on the Queensland Heritage Register.
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The Queensland Heritage Council meets on April 16 to decide whether to list the buildings, or let a Brisbane City Council demolition order proceed.
A community campaign - led by an online heritage lobby organisation called Brisbane Heritage - has been behind a push to prevent the three buildings from being demolished.
The Department of Environment and Heritage Protection believes the buildings should be listed and protected.
If the recommendation is accepted, any development would have to "adaptively re-use" the properties.
"The O'Reilly's Buildings (constructed in 1913 and 1922) are important surviving evidence of the evolution of the port of Brisbane and associated commercial activity," the EHP recommendation reads.
"The buildings are important in demonstrating the role of the Brisbane CBD as the key location of Queensland's principal port between the 1840s and 1930s."
That refers to the growth and decline of the businesses as Brisbane's port grew and shifted from the city.
Campaigner John Macdonald said the group was "incredibly pleased" with the decision by the state government department.
"We learned of the department's recommendation via email yesterday afternoon and we're incredibly pleased with their assessment of the cultural value of the 100-year-old Bonded Stores building," he said.
The three "Bonded Stores" buildings were built by the O'Reilly family of noted father and son shipping merchants, Henry and Charles O'Reilly.
On Wednesday, the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection ruled "On 19 March 2014 the delegate for the Chief Executive of the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (the Department) recommended to the Queensland Heritage Council that this place be entered in the Queensland Heritage Register as a State Heritage Place."
Heritage architect Ivan McDonald has also assessed the buildings for the owners, Sam and Paul Chong and their company Margaux 93 Pty Ltd.
His firm's submission recognises the shipping and O'Reilly family connections to the site, but says the buildings themselves are not worthy of heritage listing.
"It is apparent that the O'Reilly's buildings are not some hidden aspect of Queensland's cultural heritage that has been overlooked and only recently come to light," Mr McDonald said.
"The place has been assessed multiple times in the past 30 years, including quite recently.
"At each time it has been found not to be of sufficient significance to warrant listing at a local level, let alone at a State threshold."
The Chongs want to build an apartment complex on the site.
Brisbane Heritage's John Macdonald said his group understood the recommendation from the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection and welcomed the recommendation.
"The fact that the Department is willing to back the heritage significance of the Bonded Stores will carry weight when the Queensland Heritage Council makes its decision."
As Fairfax Media reported, 2081 of the 2083 submissions said the buildings should be protected.
