Stanley Street was named after
Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby, the
United Kingdom's Colonial Secretary, 1885–1886. In the late 1880s, at least two hotels were built on Stanley Street, the Brisbane Bridge Hotel and Graham's Hotel. Stanley Street used to continue past the Vulture Street intersection, and follow the
Brisbane River north to Kurilpa Point. At this time
South Brisbane was an industrial area. The road between Melbourne Street and Vulture Street was removed to make way for the construction of the
Expo '88 World's Fair precinct. The precinct was converted to
South Bank Parklands after the Expo. At this time a small section of the route north of Vulture Street between Tribune and Glenelg Streets was renamed Little Stanley Street. In 2006, with the construction of the
Queensland Gallery of Modern Art, the section of road still named Stanley street which tunneled under the
Queensland Art Gallery was renamed Cultural Centre Tunnel and the road to the north was removed to make way for construction. A new section of road slightly to the west of the old road was built and named Stanley Place. Of the old Stanley Street in South Brisbane, only a section about 100 m long, running alongside the
Queensland Maritime Museum remains. The remainder has been built over by the Gallery of Modern Art and South Bank Parklands, rebuilt as a pedestrian plaza as part of the Parklands (Stanley Street Plaza and the Cultural Forecourt); or renamed. The development of
Woolloongabba railway station plans to strengthen Stanley Street's importance as a major connection between the CBD and southern suburbs. == Significant features ==