Demolition of a heritage-listed building in Sydney is underway following a major fire last week, but a glimmer of hope remains that plans for a boutique hotel on the site could some day be realised.
The Surry Hills property, which is owned by Hanave Pty Limited, was intended to be transformed into a 123-room lifestyle hotel with a strong food and beverage offering over two levels.
Architects Tonkin Zulaikha Greer had designed plans for the Randle Street hotel and worked with owners for close to four years to get the project over the line. Architect Tim Greer said construction had been imminent prior to the devastating fire.
“I understand they were in detailed discussions with the building contractor and were getting very close to commencing construction,” Greer told HM.
Greer was taking a short break from a meeting last Thursday when he was shown news of the fire.
“My heart just sank because I instantly knew which building it was,” he said. Everybody was devastated and shocked. It was a very difficult morning.”
Greer said it was “one of the most handsome buildings we have ever worked on”.
“The brickwork was really stunning, and it had a beautiful timbered interior,” he said.
The seven-storey building had a long history in Surry Hills, having once served as a Henderson Hat factory.
“It was a quintessential Surry Hills building on a number of levels,” Greer said, revealing its history as a multi-level manufacturing warehouse in the Victorian era and many years later as an office space for creatives and fledgling businesses.
“Lots of interesting people from fashion designers to ad agencies and architects – so many people that I know – had their offices there because it was such a lovely space,” he said.
“In that way it completely tells the Surry Hills story.
“When you think, [after works] and we put the beautiful original windows back, it could have lived on for another 100 years.”
While works are underway, it remains unclear whether the building will be completely demolished or if some elements will remain.
When asked about whether there is a possibility a hotel could some day be built on the site, Greer was cautiously hopeful.
“I would imagine so… we don’t really know because we’ve never been through this before and hope we never are again,” he said.
“We don’t know how much of the building will get taken down. It’s possible that two or three storeys could be left, and in which case, we could keep that portion and build up from it, but there’s a lot of steps to go through before we get to the thought of what happens next.
“I really hope we can still build a hotel there because it’s such a perfect place for a hotel.”
Greer highlighted a unique detail of the property that connected it to the metro train network via a public walkway.
“The building has a very important portal through northern end of the building, through which the public could walk from Randall street, down a flight of stairs and across Randall lane into the Surry Hills Metro portal – the connection underneath Central Station, which I believe opened on Monday,” he explained.
“It would be really important to keep that as part of the design.”
Tonkin Zulaikha Greer has steadily grown its hotel portfolio over the last 10 years, having worked on projects in Sydney such as the Clare Hotel at Central Park and now on the 25Hours hotel in Oxford Street.
The business has also recently lodged a development application to build a small boutique hotel above the Metro Minerva theatre in Potts Point.