Newtown Hotel suffers collapse
The renovation of former Sydney gay icon the Newtown Hotel is up in the air after the partial collapse of the floor of the building’s second storey last night.
The collapse, at the rear of the building, occurred around 7pm but nobody was hurt as the building was empty at the time.
NSW Fire and Rescue fear that two other walls may have been compromised following the collapse.
Pioneering Sydney lesbian businesswoman Dawn O’Donnell bought the Newtown Hotel in the 1980s. It was one of Sydney’s oldest surviving gay venues, before licencee David McHugh and staff were evicted by the building’s new owners, Newtown Colonial Hotel Pty Ltd, in November 2007.
The building then sat empty until Newtown Colonial Hotel Pty Ltd obtained a liquor licence and announced a $3 million dollar renovation, which began upstairs. The downstairs bar was reopened with a tropical island theme under the name Freaky Tiki in December 2010.
Newtown Colonial Hotel Pty Ltd have refused all attempts to communicate with them from the LGBTI press since taking over the venue, but when Freaky Tiki opened it was popular with gay and straight Newtown locals alike.
Freaky Tiki closed in September 2011 so renovations could continue downstairs. The final plan included the restoration of colonial-era balconies over the footpath.
