Councils, realising the possible financial benefits from holiday makers provided firstly public dressing sheds and, later, bathing pavilions. During the thirties various councils of the coastal regions of south east Queensland such as Southport Town Council, Coolangatta Town Council and Nerang Shire Council on the south coast as well as Redcliffe Town Council and north coast councils, competed for holiday visitors. Chambers of Commerce and Progress Committees urged the councils to develop and beautify foreshore areas, in an attempt to attract visitors. As part of this process the Southport Town Council began a scheme to develop the Esplanade area, on which the Bathing Pavilion was to stand, as an recreational and entertainment area. This scheme was similar to those introduced in New South Wales at Manly, Bondi Beach and Newcastle beaches in the late twenties and early thirties. The development of the Esplanade included tree-planting schemes, the addition of various side-show amusements and the construction of a picture theatre on the Southport Pier. It was as part of the scheme of beautification at Southport that two bathing pavilions were erected, the Main Beach Pavilion and the other smaller building, the Southport Bathing Pavilion on the Esplanade close to the Southport railway station. As the buildings neared completion, the owners of private bathing boxes were given one month's notice to remove the structures. The two new buildings were opened on the 20th December, 1934 by the Minister for Works, Mr Harry Bruce. During a speech at the ceremony, mention was made of Southport being primarily dependent on visitors, and if something was not done for their comfort and convenience (Southport) would lose them. A newspaper report described the design of the buildings as Spanish. Both of the bathing pavilions were designed by the Brisbane architectural partnership, Hall and Phillips who were responsible for the design of many of Southport's public buildings including the Southport Council Chambers (1934), the Pier Theatre (1921), accommodation units (1928), service station (1929) and various business premises as well as the bathing pavilions and clubhouse for the Southport Surf Lifesaving Club (1936). Southport gradually lost its prestige as the premier resort of the South Coast when the Jubilee Bridge across the Nerang River built in 1925 and new roads and improved transport made the southern beaches more accessible. In the 1930s and 1940s, development of holiday apartments and hotels at Surfers Paradise increased the area's popularity, as did widescale promotion of the area.