[1] The major impetus to development in Stanthorpe occurred in 1872 with the start of the practice of alluvial tin mining after discoveries of the valuable metal in the area earlier in the mid 1850s.

Hobson in 1908 proclaimed:[1] The Public and Visitors requiring accommodation in Stanthorpe are reminded that Denis Sheahan will open his New Two Story Brick Hotel at the Beginning of the New Year, 1909.

[1] The Central Hotel, Stanthorpe is a two-storeyed brick building built to the corner of High and Victoria Streets.

[1] A striking feature of the building is the parapet decorated with symmetrically positioned projecting arched and trianglular pediments.

The decorative parapet is crowned on the front corner of the roof line with a multi-faced turret structure.

The upper floor verandah is also lined with glass panelled French doors gaining access to the bedrooms.

[1] On the western side of the hotel facing Victoria Street is a drive-in bottle shop.

On the ground floor the public bar extends the length of the High Street elevation and features exposed brick walls and decorative pressed metal ceilings.

The hall leads on to two parlour rooms with pressed metal ceilings and brick fireplaces to the west, and the main central staircase to the east.

A newer spacious lounge area is located in a central position in the rear section of the building which has the afore mentioned lantern style roof.

The stairs land onto a long north-south hallway which is clad with sheeting material and accesses a large doorway to the southern verandah.

The southerly hallway still displays original Vertical Joint timber work and a decorative arch at its entrance.

The hotel is a well composed building situated on a prominent corner contributing significantly to the principal street through Stanthorpe.

The Central Hotel is significant for its association with the local community of Stanthorpe as a place of social gathering since the early 20th century.

[1] The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history.

The Sheahans were prominent locals who ran several of the town's many hotels in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.