The Bellevue Hotel was a hotel on the western corner of George and Alice Streets, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Once Brisbane's premier hotel, it was demolished in 1979 despite considerable public objection. In 2009 as part of the Q150 celebrations, the demolition of the Bellevue Hotel was announced as one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland for its role as a "Defining Moment". [1]
The Bellevue Hotel was built in 1885-6, and served for many years as Brisbane's premier hotel. Being across the road from the Queensland Parliament House, it was used by many politicians. In 1967, the Queensland Government purchased the hotel with a view to demolishing it to create modern buildings for the Queensland Public Service, but there was considerable public objection, and the building stood abandoned for many years while its future was debated. In 1973, the Builders Labourers Federation placed a green ban on the site; [2] despite this, the Queensland Government removed the verandas in 1974. Without any prior public announcement, the building was successfully demolished overnight on 20 April 1979 by the Deen Brothers, whose motto is "All we leave behind are the memories". [3] The public outrage over the demolition eventually led to legislation to protect Queensland's heritage, enacted in 1992. [4]
Surfers Paradise is a coastal town and suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Surfers Paradise had a population of 23,689 people.
John Bernard "Jack" Mundey was an Australian union and environmental activist. He came to prominence during the 1970s for leading the New South Wales Builders' Labourers Federation (BLF) in the famous green bans, whereby the BLF led a successful campaign to protect the built and natural environment of Sydney from excessive and inappropriate development. Mundey was the patron of the Historic Houses Association of Australia.
Kangaroo Point is an inner southern suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Kangaroo Point had a population of 8,063 people.
Noosa Heads is a coastal town and suburb of the Shire of Noosa on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. It is located approximately 136 kilometres (85 mi) north of Brisbane, the state's capital.
Broadbeach is a suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census Broadbeach had a population of 5,514 people.
A green ban is a form of strike action, usually taken by a trade union or other organised labour group, which is conducted for environmentalist or conservationist purposes. They were mainly done in Australia in the 1970s, led by the Builders Labourers Federation (BLF) and used to protect parkland, low-income housing and buildings with historical significance.
Brisbane City Hall, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, is the seat of the Brisbane City Council. It is located adjacent to King George Square, where the rectangular City Hall has its main entrance. The City Hall also has frontages and entrances in both Ann Street and Adelaide Street. The building design is based on a combination of the Roman Pantheon, and St Mark's Campanile in Venice and is considered one of Brisbane's finest buildings. It was listed on the Register of the National Estate in 1978 and on the Queensland Heritage Register in 1992. It is also iconic for its Westminster chimes which sound on the quarter-hour.
The Mansions is a heritage-listed row of six terrace houses at 40 George Street, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by G.H.M. Addison and built in 1889 by RE Burton. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 August 1992.
The Old Museum Building is a heritage-listed former exhibition building, former museum and now performance venue in Bowen Hills, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is made from 1.3 million red bricks and bordered by Gregory Terrace and the Exhibition Grounds.
The Cloudland Dance Hall, originally called Luna Park, was a famous entertainment venue located in Bowen Hills, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was demolished in 1982 and the site was subsequently developed into an apartment complex.
Regatta Hotel is a heritage-listed hotel at 543 Coronation Drive on the corner of Sylvan Road, Toowong, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It faces the Toowong Reach of the Brisbane River and was named after the rowing regattas held there. It was designed by Richard Gailey and built in 1886 by George Gazzard. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.
George Street is a main street located in the Brisbane CBD in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. A major thoroughfare, George Street connects to the Queensland University of Technology as well as the state Botanical Gardens, to the commercial centre of Brisbane, Queen Street and Queen Street Mall.
The Palace Hotel in Perth, Western Australia is a landmark three-storey heritage listed building located in the city's central business district. Originally built in 1897 as a hotel during the gold rush period of Western Australia's history, it was converted to banking chambers and offices in the 1980s and now accommodates the Perth headquarters of Woods Bagot, Adapptor and Hatchd. The building is located on the most prominent intersection in the financial district of the city, at the corner of St Georges Terrace and William Street.
The Fremantle Society is a community-based culture and heritage advocacy group in Fremantle, Western Australia. It was formed in 1972 to prevent demolition of historic buildings in Fremantle and to assist in their development. As the significance of Fremantle's built heritage came to be more widely recognised and respected, the focus of the Fremantle Society has evolved to include more of the cultural heritage of the area.
The Builders Labourers Federation (BLF) was an Australian trade union that existed from 1911 until 1972, and from 1976 until 1986, when it was permanently deregistered in various Australian states by the federal Hawke Labor government and some state governments of the time. This occurred in the wake of a Royal Commission into corruption by the union. About the same time, BLF federal secretary Norm Gallagher was jailed for corrupt dealings after receiving bribes from building companies that he used to build a beach house.
1 William Street is a skyscraper in William Street, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and is the third tallest in the city at 259.8 metres (852 ft). The modernist style office building is located in the Brisbane CBD, in close proximity to Parliament House. The building was developed for the Queensland Government as part of the government's plan for a renewed Government Administrative Precinct and to meet its accommodation demands. It was completed in October 2016 with over 5,000 government staff moving in over six weekends.
Q150 was the sesquicentenary of the Separation of Queensland from New South Wales in 1859. Separation established the Colony of Queensland which became the State of Queensland in 1901 as part of the Federation of Australia. Q150 was celebrated in 2009.
Queensland Club is a heritage-listed club house at 19 George Street, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Francis Drummond Greville Stanley and built from 1882 to 1888 by J Smith & Sons. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.
Harris Terrace is a heritage-listed terrace house at 68 George Street, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by J & G Cowlishaw and built from c. 1866 to c. 1867 by Mr Clarke. It is also known as Harris Court. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.
Her Majesty's Theatre, Brisbane (1888-1983), opened as Her Imperial Majesty's Opera House in Brisbane, Australia on 2 April 1888. It was the largest theatre in Brisbane. It was located at 193 Queen Street, Brisbane. Its façade was in the Italian Renaissance and Corinthian style.
Media related to Bellevue Hotel (Brisbane) at Wikimedia Commons