According to the New Zealand Historic Places Trust, construction on the original Imperial Hotel was started and finished in 1883.

In 1885, the lease changed hands from Anderson to Colonial Mutual Life Assurance Society, a large Melbourne-based company.

In 1917, lessee Hancock redesigned the ground floor of the hotel to include a larger public bar, bottle store, and smoke shop.

The Imperial Hotel ceased operation under that name in 1966, when it became the Lion Tavern, occupying about two-thirds of the ground floor.

Today, what used to be the Imperial Hotel is now Queen Street Backpackers, a hostel for people travelling in and around the area.

The creation and housing of the Auckland Harbour Board in 1871 played a considerable role in the city's economic development.

The Webb Buildings that adjoined the hotel and became part of it in 1954 with the bar expansion show the architecture of James Wrigley.