Why is this place significant?

STONE CARVINGS: The stone carvings were done by L.J. Godfrey. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION (STYLE): The style is the same exuberant Victorian Classical seen on the New Zealand Insurance building, two blocks away down Rattray Street. The building rises four storeys above the street, with dormer windows in the roof for the attic rooms and a square penthouse surrounded by windows above the attic. All the facade windows are arched with pilasters between them and heavy cornices at each floor level. The large columns at street level are metal, possibly cast iron. The roof line cornice was once supported by numerous brackets and topped by a stone balustrade supporting several urns and an elaborate corner pediment. The first story windows have unusually wide double hung sashes and are flanked at the street corner by 'Classical' faces surrounded by leaves and flowers carved by L.J. Godfrey, the master carver brought out to New Zealand by William Larnach. The ceilings, were modelled in plaster by Graham Ferry of London, to designs provided by Boldini. The main entrance off High Street had folding glass doors and led into a mosaic tiled hall with a handsome decorated glass dome, which is now in the ceiling of the Dome Room on the first floor. The ground floor and first floor held mostly public rooms, and the second and third floors had 70 bedrooms with two bathrooms on each floor. The large commercial room on the ground floor (now the Exchange Bar) and the dining room on the first floor (now the Gainsborough Room) were each designed to hold 100 guests. The Grand is thought to have been the first public building in New Zealand to have had a passenger lift installed - a 'powerful Otis elevator'. MODIFICATIONS: The building has been much modified inside but it still retains much of its Victorian interior decoration. A central staircase which led up to a gallery in the main hall inside the front door was removed and gallery floors extended to make the floor of the Dome room. The tiled mosaic floor of the foyer is still present under the carpet with a space in the centre where the staircase rose. The disfiguring fire escapes of this century have been recently removed and the exterior well restored and sympathetically painted. The heavy verandahs have been removed and arched clear canopies covering only half the pavement installed, bringing into prominence once more the handsome stone carvings of the first floor, which have been painted with waterproofing. The new canopy is welded on to the metal street columns. Many of the smaller rooms have had their walls smoothed and ceilings lowered but the Dome Room and Gainsborough Room are largely intact. The old foyer, many of the rooms facing the street and many of the passages retain ornate plaster work, old doors and old window frames.

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This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. This report includes the text from the original Building Classification Committee report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. Please note that entry on the New Zealand Heritage List/Rarangi Korero identifies only the heritage values of the property concerned, and should not be construed as advice on the state of the property, or as a comment of its soundness or safety, including in regard to earthquake risk, safety in the event of fire, or insanitary conditions.