Grand Hotel | boarding house

 boarding house  Add category

1889 building by John Currie now incorporated into the Shortland Building Complex.
This was arguably Auckland's most important hotel and its position across the road from Government House ensured many important clients. It was intended that the staff & entourage accompanying the Duke & Duchess of Cornwall on the 1901 Royal Tour would stay here. For this reason the hotel was renovated and redecorated.
Unfortunately just before the tour a massive fire gutted most of the building and resulted in several deaths.
The hotel company's owner, Moss Davis, decorated the public rooms with a remarkable collection of paintings which included works by Frith, Webb, J.W.Godwarc & Landseer.
Many of these artworks were donated to the Auckland Art Gallery by the Davis family, the remainder were auctioned in 1966.