CBD heritage pub name could ‘live on’ in cafe
The Duke of York Hotel leaseholder says he hopes to keep the historic pub’s name alive if a cafe chain he owns takes over the heritage building after it closes for a 33-storey international student tower.
InDaily revealed on Wednesday that Victorian developers TAL GP Projects are planning a 33-storey, 570-bed student accommodation tower directly behind the Duke of York Hotel on Currie Street.
A render of the 33-storey, 450 unit tower planned for the Duke of York Hotel site on Currie Street. Image: Telha Clarke Architects
The local heritage listed pub, built in 1857, will retain its façade under the development plan but will be transformed into some form of café available to both students and the public. The pub’s rear additions and beer garden will be demolished to make way for the tower.
The development is yet to be approved by the State Commission Assessment Panel (SCAP) and is expected to be assessed later this year or early next year.
Duke of York publican Amin Ayoubi has been the leaseholder for more than 15 years.
He says he has no indication yet when the hotel will stop operating but has been aware for some time that a redevelopment is on the cards.
“We’ve probably seen more and more of this (student) accommodation take over hotels nationally,” he said.
“It is a market that’s thriving at the moment, but what’s unfortunate is that we’re going to lose these heritage sites, especially a big icon in South Australia that’s been (here) well over 150 years.
“At the moment, it’s out of my hands; obviously I’m only the lessee.”
The Duke of York’s facade will be retained as part of the development but some of its rear additions demolished. Image: Telha Clarke Architects
Ayoubi said an offer is on the table for him to run the new café if the tower goes ahead.
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The publican, who also once ran the Stag Hotel, is the owner and founder of Mylk Bar, a chain of three hospitality venues in the CBD and North Adelaide.
“Depending on how the final picture looks like, I’d want to incorporate the Duke of York into that brand of the Mylk Bar,” Ayoubi said.
“So, Duke of York might be still alive or might be redesigned when it comes back open again.
“It’s not like a business, you can’t just shift it and move it to another street or location. The Duke of York is a destination, it’s an iconic site. You definitely want to keep that.”
Mylk Bar’s two city establishments – on Waymouth and Flinders Street – open as cafes at 7am but function as cocktail and tapas bars in the evening. They also host private functions on weekends.
“I can see that working well at the Duke, still, depending on the size of the complete footprint,” he said, adding that he could foresee a Duke of York Mylk Bar opening “once or twice a week” in the evenings.
The interior of Mylk Bar on Waymouth Street. A similar hospitality offering could occur at the Duke of York Hotel. Photo: Mylk Bar/Facebook
“We’ll put an offer in there for the students. We’ll obviously trade for breakfast on the weekends.
“It’ll be the grown-up Duke of York from your $3 pizzas or $2 drinks now maturing to a bit more of a finer establishment.”
The Duke of York was once a regular live music venue, but this function has mostly ceased since the onset of COVID-19, Ayoubi said.
The pub’s closure would, however, spell trouble for Adelaide’s comedy scene, according to independent comedy producer Zack Syrianos who has been a semi-regular performer at the Duke of York’s fortnightly Thursday comedy nights.
He said the pub has been a strong supporter of live comedy over the last 18 months and offers affordable venue hire fees.
“I just think it’s going to decimate the industry,” Syrianos said.
“The last four years, probably about four venues have closed down that we’ve done comedy at.
“It almost feels like when a venue starts doing comedy, a venue is near its end – it’s heartbreaking.”
The local heritage listed Duke of York Hotel. Photo: Thomas Kelsall/InDaily
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Syrianos said the Rhino Room, The Gov and the Crown & Anchor are Adelaide’s best remaining comedy spaces, but noted that the latter will soon temporarily close.
“I’m worried about it because I feel like half the time I’m trying to build relationships with new venues and less time actually trying to focus on my art,” he said.
The Duke of York development application comes in a year which has been dominated by debates over the tension between live music venues and high-rise development.
In August, a months-long saga concluded over the future of the Crown & Anchor Hotel, which was threatened by a similar international student tower plan that would have preserved the building’s façade but ended the venue as a working pub.
Public backlash to that plan forced the Malinauskas Government last month to step in and preserve the future of the Crown & Anchor and also pass sweeping legislation to protect live music venues in the CBD.
Patrick Maher – a board member of the Save the Cranker group, which is now transitioning into a broader live music protection organisation – said he believes the Duke of York development is a “misapplication of the heritage system”.
Asked on ABC Radio Adelaide whether his group would be campaigning to save the Duke of York and stop the development, Maher said: “Absolutely, yes.”
“We announced that we were transitioning from being the Save the Cranker organisation to being the Music Culture Adelaide organisation,” he said.
“This (The Duke of York) is certainly another thing that we will be getting involved in and making our views known.”
Asked whether he was expecting the Duke of York to receive a similar groundswell of support as the Crown & Anchor, Maher said: “I don’t think we’ll need to do the same level of work on this particular issue.
“I think our experience with the campaign for the Crown & Anchor we can maybe apply ourselves in a more targeted matter around the heritage system.”
The Duke of York development plans will soon go out for public consultation.
TAL GP Projects director Hayden Kiss said the tower project – named The Duke – is “designed to meet all heritage and local requirements, as well as the needs of our project partners”.
“We collaborated closely with the State Government Architect and relevant referral bodies to ensure our proposal aligns with these standards,” Kiss said in a statement.
The developer also said the Duke of York’s Currie Street-facing balcony will be reinstated “to its former glory” under the plans, which include conservation works to the local heritage listed building.
A view of the development facing east on Currie Street. Image: Telha Clarke Architects
Meanwhile, Ayoubi said he would put on a last drinks event if the Duke of York is forced to close.
“It would be silly not to put something on the for the regulars,” the publican said.
“I’ve been involved and been part of a lot of people that have met at the Duke and had their weddings, their engagements and then come back and had their anniversary set, and now having their 18th and 23rd birthday parties.
“There’s a lot of history there. Definitely we’ll do something and I’m sure we’ll get support from our breweries and our suppliers.”