On the site of the former York Hotel (built 1849) and its various developments under the same name, the Grand Central Hotel stood at the corner of Rundle and Pulteney streets (the south-east corner).
Built in 1910, the hotel was perhaps one of Adelaide’s most prestigious establishments, with guests not only staying for short periods, but some also making the hotel their permanent home.
The hotel played host to some prominent guests, including the Prince of Wales in 1920, and the creator of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, stayed there for eight days when he visited Adelaide the same year during his Spiritualist lecture tour.
The hotel did not prosper as expected, and in 1926 it was bought by Adelaide department store, Foy and Gibson’s.
Foy and Gibson’s became Cox Foy’s and moved further along Rundle Street (now Rundle Mall), and around 1955 the building was sold to the state government. It was used to house government departments, including the Electricity Trust of South Australia.
Left to fall into disrepair, the once grand old building was finally demolished in the mid-1970s to make way for the multi-storey car park which now stands in its place – with Hungry Jacks underneath, and adorned with the Rundle ‘lantern’.
Here’s a great photograph of the Grand Central Hotel in 1924 and of its predecessor the York Hotel in 1865 (courtesy of the State Library of SA).
You can listen to our chat on the subject in episode 38 of the show.