As restoration work is being done on the Logan and Albert Hotel, it is interesting to reflect on what happened to the original hotel and how the new one was built.
The original Logan and Albert Hotel was destroyed by fire in July 1934. The fire began in a workshop next door, but the ability to extinguish fires was very limited in those times.
The fire was reported in the Sydney Morning Herald on July 17 1934 – a property occupied by Casey Motors and the Logan and Albert Hotel next door were destroyed by fire this afternoon.
A garage employee was welding a petrol tank, when the fumes ignited and caught his clothes. Fellow employees quickly smothered the burning clothing, but the flames spread with great rapidity, and the bursting of an oxygen cylinder added to the intensity of the heat which caused the hotel next door to ignite. In a short while both buildings were burning fiercely, but willing helpers removed a fair amount of goods from the hotel. The fire brigade concentrated on saving other buildings,and was successful.
Little time was spared in building the replacement.
It was reported in the Beaudesert Times on November 23, 1934 that work had commenced on the new building, with Mr Heaven of Brisbane being the builder, and twelve men on the job. The paper reported that construction was expected to take 16 weeks.
Various renovations have been done on the building over the past 90 years, but the façade and original design remain to show the vision of the 1934 builders.
