Look what's happened to Gowings

This is brand spanking new QT Hotel which occupies the old Gowings and State Theatre buildings in Market Street. Much as I miss Gowings, I love what they've done. The staff are dressed in specially designed uniforms and specially wigged and made up every day. I just wish I could afford to stay there. Have a look at the rooms.

Coffee Shop in the Foyer, opposite the lifts

While preserving two of the city’s most iconic buildings, QT Sydney is destined to become a new landmark by reviving a rich and colorful past of theatre and retail. Set within the historic Gowings department store and heritage-listed State Theatre in the heart of Sydney’s central business district, the surrounding area is brimming with culture, art, fashion, cuisine and design, while still being within easy reach of sandy beaches. With stars from stage and screen having performed in the State Theatre over the past 80 years, and the classic retail of the Gowings department store, the QT Sydney captures the intrigue and excitement of the past in an edgy, contemporary design style. 

The 200 guest rooms come in 12 different styles – most equipped with a signature oversized bathtub and shower and unique design pieces that reference the buildings’ past. The lower levels of the buildings have remained unchanged, but important historic fittings and fixtures – such as original stone cladding, gargoyles, facade detail, original timber floors and retail showcases – which have been damaged or removed over decades, have been carefully restored.

The lifts.