Plans for historic Sydney theatre to reopen as part of hotel development

Plans have been revealed for the historic Metro-Minerva Theatre in Sydney’s Kings Cross to be restored as part of a boutique hotel development that would include a series of performance spaces.

Opened in 1939, the Art Deco style venue and ceased operation in 1979 when it was converted into a market and subsequently offices for film production company Kennedy Miller.

In 2019, Kennedy Miller sold the building to developer Abacus Group with the site having development approval for office use and a height limit of 22 metres.

Fearing that the historic building would be lost, a community campaign to save it from redevelopment saw the building added listed on the state heritage register In December 2020 as a rare example of an inter-war ‘functionalist’ style theatre.

Subsequently, developer Central Element purchased the site in early 2021.

With TZG Architects having been engaged, a design has been released that proposes the building of a boutique hotel alongside the preservation of the building’s historic features, including the original horsehair ceiling and proscenium arch.

With a development application for the proposal submitted to the City of Sydney, Central Element Director Wayne Chivas said the building’s heritage significance was a key reason the company snapped up the site, commenting “like the broader community, we are pleased the building is now heritage-listed and we look forward to honouring and protecting the history of the building and its significant cultural heritage.”

Chivas said the interiors of the public spaces would incorporate interpretive displays on the building and its history and the main auditorium would be restored to allow for a mix of hospitality offerings, live music and cabaret.

However, Minerva Theatre Action Group (MTAG) spokesperson Brandon Martignago said that while he commended the design, the site was not appropriate for a new hotel, and he was unconvinced by the proposed performance spaces.

Martignago noted “it’s a beautiful design, they’ve done well stuffing a hotel into this grand theatre space.

“The design pays homage to the theatre, but for us that doesn’t cut the mustard.”

MTAG is advocating for the venue to be restored as a 1,000-seat theatre, which is supported by the NSW Government and the City of Sydney. A feasibility study funded by both levels of government in 2020 found that there is commercial market interest and that it would be operationally viable to re-open the theatre.

Martignago, who is also head of local business group Potts Point Partnership, said a theatre would help contribute to a vibrant 24-hour precinct comparable to London’s Soho, while a new boutique hotel was not needed in an already saturated market.

He said the performance spaces outlined in the current proposal were unlikely to be logistically or financially viable, and that they were more akin to a “piano in the cosmetics section of David Jones.”

Central Element said in a statement that it had commissioned Arup to assess the requirements and constraints of the building if it were to be refurbished as a functioning theatre with a 1,000 seat capacity. It said the building constraints limited the seating capacity to under 700 seats and that having a solely dedicated theatre would not be economically or technically viable.

The company also said it was dedicated to “maximising the creative and performance use of the building in line with community demand for more live performance and cultural venues in Sydney.”

Should the development application be approved, the developer expects to reopen the Minerva in 2024.

Images: Concepts for the restored Minerva Theatre by TZG Architects.