The building saw tumultuous years during the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as the House of Representatives was extremely fractious between liberals and conservatives, German-speaking nationalists and Czech deputies, as well as the government and parliament. It became a common feature of undisciplined deputies to throw inkwells at each other. The joke on the street was that Athena was so disgusted by the political infighting, that her statue purposely has her back turned to the building. Nevertheless the building housed the first form of a parliamentary system for much of the people of Central Europe.

The Reichsratsgebäude continued to function until 1918, when the building was occupied by demonstrators during the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. From the ramp of the building, the First Republic was officially proclaimed. The building itself was renamed as “Parlament”, with the new republican National Council (Nationalrat) and Federal Council (Bundesrat) replacing the old imperial House of Deputies (Abgeordnetenhaus) and the House of Lords (Herrenhaus). The parliament ceased to function with the introduction of the Austro-fascist dictatorship and the Anschluß of Austria to Nazi-Germany in 1938. Half of the building suffered heavy damage or was destroyed, such as the former Lords Chamber and the Hall of Columns, by Allied bombs in the course of the Second World War. It was in the old Abgeordnetenhaus Chamber that the new Chancellor Dr. Karl Renner declared the rebirth of an independent Austria, helped by Soviet troops. Max Fellerer and Eugen Wörle were commissioned as architect; they chose to redesign and readapt the former Lords Chamber for the National Council, in the process the meeting room of the National Council was rebuilt in a modern and functional style. Work on the National Council Chamber was completed in 1956. The original appearance of the other publicly accessible premises and the building's external appearance were largely restored to von Hansen's design, such as of the Hall of Columns.

Baron von Hansen's design for the Reichsratsgebäude uses the neo-Greek style, which was popular during the 19th century Classic revival. Von Hansen was himself a classical architect, having constructed various other buildings in Vienna in the same style. The Greek architectural style was chosen as a reminder of antique Greece as the "cradle of democracy".
The original plans actually saw a separate building for the House of Representatives and the House of Lords. For practical and financial reasons it was decided to house both chambers in one building. Von Hansen's concept of the layout reflected the structure of the Council of the Realm (Reichsrat), as was stipulated by the so-called February Patent of 1861, which laid down the constiutional structure for the empire. The two chambers were connected to each other by the great hypostyle hall, which was the central structure. The hall was supposed to be the meeting point between the commoners and the lords, reflecting the structure of the society back then.
The gable has not changed since the monarchy and is decorated with symbols and allegories of the 17 provinces (Kronländer) of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire. The ramp is about four meters high. The pillars are in the corinthian style. On both ends of the roof are quadrigas. It used to be surrounded by smaller patches of lawns, which have been transformed into parking spaces. The building is up to four storeys high.

The stonework of the building was originally ?, a white-coloured ? limestone? quarried in the village of in ?. The stone, however, soon began to decay due to pollution. Although such defects were clear as early as 1920's, nothing was done for the remainder of the 20th century. During the 1970s, however, it became clear that some of the stonework had to be replaced.
Two bronze statues of the horse-tamers are located at the two lower ends of the ramp Auffahrtsrampe. They are a powerful symbol of the suppression of passion, an important precondition for successful parliamentary cooperation. They were designed and executed by?. Further bronze works are the two quadrigas on top of the roof, each chariot pulled by four horses and steered by the goddess Nike. The bronze works had to undergo extensive conservation and restoration work in the 1990's, due to acid rain and air pollution. Further oxidation corroded the bronze over the decades and ate holes into the sculptures. For that purpose each sculpture was completely encased into a separate structure to protect them from the elements while they underwent restoration.

The Athena Fountain (Pallas-Athene-Brunnen) in front of the Parliament was erected between 1893 and 1902 by Carl Kundmann, Josef Tautenhayn, and Hugo Haerdlt, based on the plans by Baron von Hansen. In the middle is a water-basin and a richly decorated base. The four lying figures at the foot of Athena are allegorical representations of the four most important rivers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. They represent at the front the Danube and Inn, in the back part the Elbe and Moldau rivers. On the sides are little cupids riding dolphins. The statues of the Danube, Inn, and the cupids were executed by Haerdtl, those of the Elbe and Moldau by Kundmann. The female statues above represent the legislative and executive powers of the state, executed by Tautenhayn. They are again dominated by the Goddess of Wisdom, Athena standing on a pillar. Athena is dressed in armor with a gilded helmet, her left hand carries a spear, her right carries Nike. The statue of Athena and Nike were done by Kundmann. The stone material used was? And the height of the statue is? With base?
Parliament is surrounded by greenery. On the north side the Rathausplatz park is located, on the southern side a smaller lawn next to the Justizpalast. Monuments to the founders of the First Republic as well as to Dr. Karl Renner are located on either ends.

Since 1920 the former meeting room of the House of Lords has been used as plenary meeting room by the National Council. The House of Lords (Herrenhaus) used to have its chamber where today the National Council convenes. The chamber was designed in the classical style, with a horseshoe-shaped seating arrangement facing the chair. The Chamber of the National Council was destroyed in 1945 during aerial bombardments and was completely rebuilt in a modern style. The new chamber was finished in 1956 and is a typical example of the 1950’s architecture. Apart from the coat of arms made out of steel, the chamber is lacklustre without any decoration. The carpet is kept in mint-green, since back then that was not the colour of any party and considered most neutral. Green was also said to have a soothing effect, something that apparently weighed into the decision considering the tumultous debates the building had to endure before the two World Wars. Behind the speaker's pult is the government bench (Regierungsbank), which is however only completely occupied during important events such as the declaration of the government (Regierungserklärung) or the state budget speech (‘’Budgetrede’’).

The exterior of the Austrian Parliament-especially the statue and fountain of Athena-is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Vienna. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) classifies the inner city of Vienna, including the Ringstraße and thus the Parliament Building as a World Heritage Site. It is also a Grade I listed building. There is no casual access to the interior, but it may be seen in a number of ways: Since October 2005 a visitors-centre has been built and opened. Visitors can enter the building now not from the old side-entrance, but from the front at ground level.