The Belvedere Hotel's History

The Belvedere Hotel’s story is one of history, starting long before the first hotel was built on the site in back 1823.

Prior to European settlement in 1788, the Dharuq tribe who were one of three main tribes of the Eora people occupied the land of the hotel. The tribe regularly used the area around Bathurst Street, as it was the way down to the sandy beach in Cockle Bay.

Once European settlers arrived, they did not occupy the land surrounding Bathurst street and the area remained undeveloped and used for the grazing of animals, however by 1819 Sydney’s development had moved south and Bathurst street was created and named in honour of Henry Bathurst.

In 1821 the site of the The Belvedere Hotel was given to Henry Cooper as part of a grant, it was sold in February 1822 to Arthur Little and in March part of this land on the corner of Kent and Bathurst Streets was purchased by Terrance McElhone for 90 pounds. Members of the McElhone family continued to own this land until it was sold to the Glebe Administration Board in 1972.

In 1823 the Wollongong Hotel opened and was renamed the Belvedere Hotel in 1883. Major changes to the site came during 1911 and 1912 when the existing hotel was demolished and the new Belvedere Hotel constructed to designs by architects Spain Cosh and Minnett.

In 1972 the building was converted to office space and ownership was transferred in 1980 to The Australian Board of Missions Trust Limited who continued its use as office space for the Anglican Diocese of Sydney.

The property was sold in November 2003 to Hyston Pty Limited who placed a DA with the City of Sydney Council to convert the property back to the use as a hotel, the project was approved but never completed and as sold to JJO in 2007 with the venue reopening in September 2009.

The current Belvedere Hotel logo pays tribute to this time honoured site by incorporating the very first hotel's year of creation.