1970: The end of the Hotel Metropole

1970 saw the closure of the Hotel Metropole in Bent Street after eighty years of trading. It was a victim of progress that was occurring in central Sydney. The last day of trade was 5 May 1970 with a final breakfast.

   

Source: Anon. 1970. "The last breakfast". The Sun, April 10: 50.

Prior to its closure, the crockery and cutlery were already being souvenirs by souvenir hunters.

Source: Anon. 1970. "Hotel's Final Breakfast". The Sun, May 1: 21. 

In the auction that followed, the staircase failed to sell. 

 

 Source: Anon. 1970. "Hotel's Stairs Might Stay". The Daily Telegraph, May 20: 3.

Remember This? Hotel Metropole Advertisement (1968)

Remember This? has returned for the annual summer run, where I share material that would not normally be suited to our regular weekly postings and an opportunity to share interesting finds that I encounter.

This week I share a 1968 newspaper advertisement for the Hotel Metropole, which was located on the current site of the Governor Macquarie Tower (facing Young, Bent and Phillip Streets). The hotel traded between 1890 and 1970 when it was demolished for CAGA House, a thirty-storey office tower which itself was demolished in 1992 for the Governor Macquarie Tower.

Rooms were available for as little as $6 per night, but a standard room cost around $12.50 per night. According to the RBA Inflation Calculator, $6 equated to around $78.30 in today's money, which is still cheap by Sydney standards for a hotel room if you were seeking a room on a low budget. For a double or twin room, it was equivalent to around $163 a night. 

Source: Hotel Metropole. 1968. "Hotel Metropole" (Advertisement). The Daily Telegraph, June 4: 5.