The Bellevue Hotel was built in 1886 occupying a prime position on the corner of Alice and George Streets, Brisbane city. The architect F.F. Holmes designed the three story building with two levels of decorative cast iron ballustrading verandahs. It was regarded as Brisbane’s Premier Hotel.
Bellevue Hotel. Image credit – State Library of Queensland, John Oxley Library.
The majestic hotel welcomed celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Katharine Hepburn, Nat ‘King’ Cole, Louis Armstrong and the 1933 English Cricket team as well as being a popular wedding reception venue and hotel establishment.
Bellevue Hotel Advertisement as featured in the Telegraph. Image credit State Library of Queensland.
Due to its close location to Queensland’s Parliament House the hotel was often used by politicians particularly by rural members to stay in whilst in Brisbane for Parliament. In 1967 the Government of the day purchased the hotel to make way for a modern government building.
Many people objected to the Government’s purchase of the building and while debate raged in parliament the hotel stood empty and dilapidated for many years. Sadly and amidst huge public protect, in the middle of the night on April 20, 1979, The Bellevue Hotel was demolished.
As a result of the demolition legislation was eventually introduced to protect Queensland heritage buildings.
Image credit – Queensland State Archives