Seaview Hotel, built 1881 on Pier Avenue at Shorncliffe, has very recently been bought by the nearby Catholic school, St Patrick's College.

The school sits opposite the old hotel.

Retiring school principal Dr Michael Carroll advised St Patrick's school community this month it had bought the old hotel.

Brisbane City Council fears the school will demolish the building.

St Patrick's College says it wants to use the hotel's car park and it is unclear what the future of the old hotel building – which is no longer a pub – would be.

Brisbane City Council's Neighbourhood Planning committee chair councillor Amanda Cooper has decided to urgently nominate the hotel building for Brisbane City Council's heritage register to try to protect the building.

"If this nomination for the Seaview Hotel is accepted by Council's Heritage Advisory Committee and then put onto the Register it would ensure that this local, much-loved landmark remains protected and the building will be retained under any new use or ownership," Cr Cooper said.

"I believe this hotel meets at least two of the criteria for listing on Council's heritage register as a rare remnant of the original commercial hub of Sandgate and also demonstrating the evolution or pattern of the local area's history."

The Seaview Hotel was built around 1881 at Shorncliffe as the Sandgate area boomed as Brisbane's "seaside resort."

By 1882, Brisbane architect John Richard Hall designed additions to the original hotel including extra rooms and facilities.

"By 1901 it had over 100 rooms, bath, reading and billiard and rooms, a telegraph and telephone, and five comfortable furnished cottages available for rent," Cr Cooper said.

The Seaview Hotel became very popular during the late 19^th century and was the centre of bayside entertainment in the early to mid 20th century.

It was modernised again in the 1960s and continued to operate as a hotel until the end of November 2014.

Dr Carroll told the school community in the November 2014 edition of the St Patrick's school newsletter that the school had entered into a contract to buy the property.

Edmund Rice Education Australia, the owner and operator of St Patrick's College, has since entered into a contract to purchase the land and buildings and will take vacant possession in the early part of 2015," Dr Carroll wrote.

"The College will make use of the existing car parking areas that form part of the site."

Dr Carroll said the school was not buying a working hotel – because it closed at the end of November - but did not detail what would be the future of the 1881 hotel building.

"I can confirm that St Patrick's College is not purchasing an operating hotel, that the current owners of the Seaview Hotel is closing in November and that St Patricks College has entered negotiations to purchase the freehold property."

Dr Carroll – who leaves the school on Friday after 11 years to take up a position at Gregory Terrace - said St Patrick's College had no intention of demolishing the old hotel.

It will be used for "non-teaching purposes" and the school will apply to Brisbane City Council for a material change of use in 2015.

Dr Carroll said the school would take the heritage application on board.

"But I am unsure what that means, there are varying levels of heritage protection," Dr Carroll said.

"We really have to have a look at what that means and we would work with the Council accordingly."

Dr Carroll said the school did not yet own the buildings.

"At this stage they (Brisbane City Council) would not be communicating with us, - it is presumption because we do not yet own the buildings – but if we finish up owning the building, then I am 100 per cent sure will end up entering into discussions with them."

He said there was little of the original 1881 Seaview Hotel building remaining.

Local councillor Victoria Newton said she supported the heritage application and recently wrote to Cr Cooper suggesting that Council's heritage protections could be applied to the old hotel.

"The building was recognised as being of significance because that part of the area was the commercial hub in the late 1800s," Cr Newton said.

"That was where all the shops were, the cinema was. The town hall used to be in that street," she said.

Cr Newton said the commercial centre slowly shifted towards its current location around Brighton Road.

"So the Seaview Hotel building represents the last of those remaining commercial buildings in that neighbourhood.

"So I am really pleased to hear that Cr Cooper is doing this."

She encouraged Edmund Rice Education Australia to keep the heritage aspects of the old hotel in their future use of the building.