History

“The Grand Hotel fairly shouts Victoriana from the ornate facade and wrought iron balconies to the marble statuary and plush gloominess of its interior. The manager of the Grand Hotel, Mr. S T Johnson, has been there only 16 months although he frequently worked on relief for previous managers. Both he and his wife feel closely identified with the hotel and enjoy its atmosphere and old-world tranquility. “Lord Denning stayed here recently and he was delighted,” said Mr. Johnson, “He said it reminded him of home.” – New Zealand Herald 21 May 1966

The Grand Hotel architect was Mr. William Skinner, designed in 1887, costing no more than £3000. The Grand Hotel was owned through Hancock and Company Limited by Moss Davis and later by his sons Sir Ernest Davis and Eliot Davis. The hotel was opened by 1889, however, the interior of the third storey was fitted out at a slightly later date around 1890/91. The Grand replaced the earlier Masonic Hotel that was owned by the Ara Masonic Lodge. Additions to the rear of the Grand on Bankside St took place in 1900 by architect John Currie. In 1902 the hotel was rebuilt after the fire, incorporating the front and side facades that had survived. In 1913, a large extension to the Grand Hotel was completed which included a new dining room, kitchen, scullery, and open-cage lift. This was the last major addition to the hotel.

The Grand Hotel was opened on 21 April 1889 by Mr. Frank Gaudin for the purpose of receiving the Earl and Countess of Onslow on their arrival from Britain.

In 1901 the Grand Hotel hit the headlines with a massive fire. At the time of the fire the hotel had just finished being refurbished in anticipation of hosting the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall during their stay in Auckland as part of the 1901 Royal Tour.

The fire almost destroyed the building and killed three children, a bank manager from Wellington and a maid. The cost of the damage was said to be £12,000 and the fire left only the charred external and interior brick walls. The lack of fire escapes became a public concern. The children Leonora, Eva and Nina Johnston died of smoke inhalation, the hotel employee, Dora Wallace died after jumping from the building.

Details of the fire can be found here.

The fire was not the end for the Grand Hotel, and it was soon rebuilt, incorporating the original ornate plastered brick street frontage and side walls.

The interior was furnished by large paintings collected by Moss Davis and Ernest Hyam Davis, who leased the Grand Hotel building from the Ara Masonic Lodge through Hancock & Co. Ltd. These paintings were auctioned when the hotel closed on 14 December 1966 and are now in private collection. Many were originally from, and have subsequently returned to, the United Kingdom.

Well known guests over the years include: Queen Elizabeth II, Randolph Churchill, Noël Coward, Captain Musick, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, George Formby, Todd Duncan, Webster Booth, Mountbattens, Lord Montgomery, Gracie Fields, Anthony Eden, Duke of Edinburgh, Lord Denning, Dame Margot Fonteyn, Jean Batten, innumerable prime ministers and governors-general.

“One of the finest and most up-to-date establishments in Auckland”. “Outmoded and old fashioned and does not pay its way”. These two comments have an ironic ring and to a degree sum up the rise and fall of the Grand Hotel.

In 1966 the Grand Hotel was to be closed. After 77 years of service the Grand Hotel began shutting up shop. The last guests left and only a skeleton staff remained to clean up and staff the bars. A party was held for the staff in the dining room. The star of the occasion was the Chef Mr. Lesley Horace Rose who had been chef at the hotel since 1937. “It is a tragedy”, said Mr Rose referring to the closing of the Grand Hotel. “The Grand Hotel was the last frontier of the true hotel”. “I think I have been chef at this hotel longer than any chef at any other Auckland hotel”, he said, “and I have enjoyed every moment”. Other staff members were recorded to have been very wistful. Mr. Rose stated that it was remarkable that so many had stayed when they knew the hotel was closing down. “It is very sad for me”, he said. “The hotel was a tradition in Auckland.”

A few weeks later the bar closed “quietly and sedately, as befits the grand old lady of Princes Street” and the building was converted into offices. On 14 December 1966, the hotel contents were auctioned in the hotel which included the paintings, chandeliers, mirrors, chairs, and other interior fittings. Other furniture was removed by private collectors and dealers after the main auction sale.

As an office building it was renamed “Grand Building”. A notable tenant was the Chartered Accountancy firm, Buddle & Co, whose board room on the first floor and a balcony were part of the Royal Suite used by dignitaries, including Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh. In 1979 the Grand Hotel was controversially reduced from a completely protected building to just its front facade.

In 1987 the Auckland City Council approved the development of a 15-floor office tower on the site. It was to include the facades of the Grand Hotel and the neighbouring 1881 Freemasons Hall. Demolition began in 1988 and before long nothing was left of the old hotel other than the bare facade, incorporated into the glass tower which was then the headquarters of the dairy company Fonterra.

In 2016 it was announced that the facade of the Grand Hotel and Freemason’s Hall will be preserved while the office tower behind will be converted into apartments, known as ‘The International’, as part of major refurbishments. The redesign of the project occurred with architects Jasmax and Marchese Partners, while structural strengthening and redesign was completed by Bonacci Group, now Meinhardt-Bonacci. Fletcher Building was appointed main contractors but pulled out after initial discussions, after which Dominion Constructors were awarded the project. The project started in June 2017 and was completed by November 2020, during the COVID pandemic.