The Hopetoun Hotel, a boarded-up pub on the corner of Bourke and Fitzroy streets in the heart of swanky Surry Hills, has been a local enigma for years.
Once one of the city's most popular live music venues, serving the indie end of the scene, the Hopetoun was forced to close more than ten years ago, after the owner, Evangelos Patakas, accumulated overwhelming fines and police citations for noise violations in a residential area that ultimately led to the council chaining the venue's doors shut in 2009.
During the past decade, save for a fleeting moment in the spotlight as a set for the Hugh Jackman-led Wolverine movie in 2012, the 1840s-built, heritage-listed address has sat quietly abandoned on a busy intersection at the heart of one of the city’s most expensive suburbs.
Now, after years of silent mystery, the Patakas family have announced their intention to restore the Hopetoun to its former glory. Well, almost. Despite several offers over the years from developers hoping to get their hands on the fantastically situated des-res, Patakas and his two siblings have decided against selling the Hopetoun and will reopen as a pub and bar in 2020. The catch? There will no longer be live music performed here to meet with local compliances regarding noise. A specific timeline for the redevelopment of the Hopetoun and its eventual reopening has not yet been confirmed.