 History of The Esplanade Hotel, Devonport, Auckland, New Zealand
The story of The Esplanade Hotel begins in 1900 when a local company, Northern
Property Limited purchased the old Flagstaff Hotel, situated on
the current Esplanade Hotel site. The Flagstaff was removed and plans drawn
up for a grand hotel to be built, called The Esplanade Hotel.
The plans
were modelled on the resort hotels of the English seaside towns
of Brighton and Blackpool, The Esplanade Hotel being named after the
best-known resort hotel in Brighton, England.
Construction of the £7000 hotel started in 1901 by leading
builder of the time, William Cranston, and construction was completed
in February
1903. The Esplanade Hotel quickly became established as a well run popular
seaside resort hotel.
An amusing incident occurred in 1919 when members of the Ponsonby
Cruising Club posed outside the hotel for a photograph. The photo
was sent to
Sir Thomas Lipton, along with a request to donate a trophy to the
club. Sir Thomas, impressed by the "Clubhouse", sent out
a solid silver cup then valued at £1800 for the competition,
stating that he would like to visit
the clubhouse if he came to New Zealand. The Ponsonby Cruising Club,
which did not even have a clubhouse, were relieved when hearing of
Sir Thomas' s death as he never managed to visit New Zealand.
"The magnificent prospect of
the harbour from every balcony, the salubrity of the air, and
the convenience to the ferry, make the Esplanade an ideal destination
- it combines the advantage of the city life and life at the
seaside. Though only ten minutes from Queen Street it is absolutely
removed from all the unpleasant concomitants of a crowded population."
The New Zealand Sporting and Dramatic Review,
1904 |
The
Esplanade Hotel has continued to be an Auckland landmark, and has had
several owners, all adding their own touch to create The Esplanade
Hotel history.
The hotel underwent a major refurbishment in 2002.
In 2004 Auckland-based Mecca Café Group purchased The Esplanade Hotel and continued with renovations. The most significant renovation was to the brasserie which has been completely redesigned into a contemporary café. In 2005 it was reopened as MECCA Esplanade, the seventh MECCA cafe in Auckland. It has grown to become a very popular eaterie for locals and visitors to Devonport.
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