Built in the style of the Chicago Tribune building and opened in 1930, the Grace Building was originally the headquarters of the department store Grace Brothers. An ambitious but successful design resulted in the combined Gothic and Art Deco style building with a central tower. The 213 foot (70 metre) tower was designed to attract the eye along the city's streets.
Under national security regulations during world War II, the building was requisitioned for use as headquarters for General Macarthur's pacific operations. Following the war, the building was compulsorily acquistioned by the Commonwealth of Australia. It housed several government departments including the Postmaster General's Department and the War Services Homes Commission. Grace Bros eventually received a financial settlement in 1953 after issuing a writ in the High Court declaring the acquisition invalid.
The Low Yat Group bought the building in 1995 and restored its Art Deco features - the grand corner tower, fan-vaulted ceilings, decorative ironwork balustratdes and stonework, polished veined marble and majestically lit atrium - and other original features such as the mosaic tiling and the six brass and wood panelled lifts.
2 comments:
Yep - we looked over this one too. Would love to rent that large corner suite that they allowed us to look through! Some of your photos show the hotel to be more attractive than it appeared in real life!
MacArthur and WW2 was an interesting story, wasn't it?
I adore this style as that's excatly what it exudes- style.
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