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added. The "Eastern Tent
Ballroom" was constructed to the rear of the site, and in the early 1920s became an important jazz and dance venue, at a time when the St Kilda foreshore area was one of the main entertainment districts in Melbourne, with numerous dance halls, cinemas, baths, hotels and an ice rink. It closed in 1925, and in 1929 the ballroom was rebuilt as the Spanish style Baymor Court flats.
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threatening to boycott construction if the pub was demolished. Community opposition supported the Espy's role in
Melbourne culture and independent music scene. The eventual compromise was a lower 10 storey apartment building to the rear and side replacing rear wings, a yard, the Baymor Court flats and the bottle shop, separate from the main part of the hotel building.
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the 1980s and 90s, live music on up to three stages was an almost every night occurrence, as the Espy became one of the major venues of
Melbourne's vibrant live music scene. By the 1980s, the upper floor guest rooms had been abandoned, and by the 1990s the Baymor Court flats were unused as well. The Esplanade Hotel was classified by the
217:. In 2006 the apartment development, designed by Fender Katsalidis, was completed. Adamo and Sofo attempted to sell the lease in early 2014, without success. They closed the hotel suddenly on 17 May 2015, with the stated intention of refurbishment, but no work happened, with only the Gershwin Room used occasionally for special gigs.
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Col
Jackson took on the lease in 1967 and heralded a new era in music at The Espy. In the 1970s the Gershwin Room was turned into a disco, complete with flashing Saturday Night Fever-style dance floor, and later hosted live bands, as did the front bar, dubbed the Nimrod Room. From the 70s and through
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In 1921 the hotel changed hands to become
Carlyon’s Esplanade Hotel, and alterations were made changing it from exclusive residential use for the wealthy to incorporate entertainment for the middle classes. A ground level extension created a much larger lounge bar, and a grand staircase and entry was
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In 2001, Becton put out to tender the sale of a 200 year lease for the separated Espy Hotel. The community based Lewis/Comey/Esplanade
Alliance bid was pipped by former nightclub operators Paul Adamo and Vince Sofo (who previously owned the popular Chevron nightclub in Chapel Street). Following some
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The hotel was built in 1878 and remains one of the earliest, largest and most prominent 19th-century resort hotels in
Victoria. Originally intended to be three large terraces, the building was altered to become a hotel during construction, and became one of the premier hotels in Melbourne outside
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In May 2017, The Espy was sold yet again, to
Melbourne-based hospitality group Sand Hill Road, who have operated and redeveloped licensed venues since 2000. After an extensive renovation, a transformed Espy reopened in November 2018, with three live music or performance stages, numerous bars and
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in 1995 and then sold to Becton
Corporation in 1997 with plans to develop a large residential and retail complex on the site. Becton's proposal for a 35 storey residential complex behind a partly retained hotel resulted in 9,000 residents registering objections and the trade union movement
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the city. The
Esplanade Hotel provided rooms overlooking Port Phillip Bay, at a time when St Kilda was both a suburb of the wealthy, and the preferred place to partake of the waters in one of the many sea-bath establishments for both Melburnians and visitors.
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In August 2022, The Espy was sold to KKR, a US-based private equity company. According to a report in The Australian on 3 Aug 2022 "The famed US company, which is the backer of local outfit
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323:...The handsome new hotel lately erected on the St. Kilda Esplanade, and called the Esplanade Hotel, was formally opened on Monday. It is erected on the site of the old Criterion Hotel...
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https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/property/landmark-melbourne-pub-the-espy-bought-by-kkrbacked-australian-venue-co/news-story/3055bd1e383501d100783dda26dc48a5
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from the Upper Esplanade. It is famed for its long history of live music, and served as the filming location for the live music trivia program
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refurbishment the Gershwin Room at the rear reopened for live bands in 2004 and became home for the SBS television show
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The KKR-backed company has just finalised a deal to acquire Espy owner the Sand Hill Road pub group for about $ 100m."
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A large dining room (later known as the Gershwin Room) in the rear wing was redecorated in Art Nouveau style in c1910.
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The Esplanade Hotel is reputed to be the longest continuously running live music venue in Australia. In May 1995,
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that has taken over the iconic venue, has been chasing it since before the pandemic struck.
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from 1892 until his death in 1904. The hotel also hosted many famous visitors, including
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restaurants, finally renovating and reusing all four floors, and the basement.
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485:"Reborn Espy rejuvenates St Kilda's image as home of city's nightlife"
600:"SBS: Summer / Autumn" by David Knox, TV Tonight, (23 September 2010)
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510:"Live Music & Gigs in St Kilda, Melbourne | Hotel Esplanade"
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311:. No. 831. Victoria, Australia. 12 January 1878. p. 3
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The Esplanade Hotel was the home of wealthy philanthropist and
132:", is a hotel and music venue in the inner bayside suburb of
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The Telegraph, St Kilda, Prahran and South Yarra Guardian
255:(1996), in the hotel's Gershwin Room. Since 2005, the
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Buildings and structures in the City of Port Phillip
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574:"The Recordings of Paul Kelly as a Solo Artist"
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265:has been filmed in the same room. Show host
580:. Australian Music Web Site. Archived from
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319:– via National Library of Australia.
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27:Building in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
269:used to work at the hotel as a waitress.
252:Live at the Continental and the Esplanade
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686:Duke of Wellington Hotel, Melbourne
545:Cashmere, Paul (21 October 2008).
483:Booker, Chloe (19 November 2018).
459:"Melbourne's Iconic Espy Unveiled"
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781:Hotel buildings completed in 1878
791:1878 establishments in Australia
771:Tourist attractions in Melbourne
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249:recorded tracks for his album,
162:The Esplanade Hotel circa 1885
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128:, commonly known locally as "
691:Empress Hotel, Fitzroy North
572:Blanda, Eva (October 2003).
341:. Retrieved on 9 August 2009
206:Carlton and United Breweries
172:National Gallery of Victoria
611:St Kilda Historical Society
387:Victorian Heritage Database
199:National Trust of Australia
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786:Hotels established in 1878
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182:in the 1880s, and actress
766:Music venues in Melbourne
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706:The Oxford Scholar Hotel
681:Devonshire Arms, Fitzroy
204:The hotel was bought by
412:National Trust Database
437:The Melbourne Magazine
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96:37.86417°S 144.97278°E
711:Prince of Wales Hotel
701:The John Curtin Hotel
621:at the National Trust
578:Other People's Houses
514:hotelesplanade.com.au
355:"The Esplanade Hotel"
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547:"The Espy Turns 130"
383:"Baymor Court Flats"
226:Australian Venue Co.
101:-37.86417; 144.97278
726:Young & Jackson
584:on 16 February 2012
553:on 31 December 2012
439:. 27 September 2005
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53:General information
796:St Kilda, Victoria
362:Esplanade Alliance
284:Music of Melbourne
241:Music of Melbourne
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63:St Kilda, Victoria
61:11 The Esplanade,
776:Pubs in Melbourne
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656:Pubs in Melbourne
433:"Esplanade Hotel"
408:"Esplanade Hotel"
339:"Esplanade Hotel"
201:in October 1990.
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16:(Redirected from
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666:Carlton Inn
588:15 December
315:16 February
303:"MEMORANDA"
174:benefactor
99: /
87:144°58′22″E
74:Coordinates
760:Categories
557:28 October
463:Broadsheet
443:28 October
290:References
247:Paul Kelly
239:See also:
180:Mark Twain
84:37°51′51″S
186:in 1920.
138:Melbourne
67:Australia
745:Category
519:6 August
494:6 August
468:6 August
417:6 August
392:6 August
367:6 August
273:See also
134:St Kilda
130:The Espy
18:The Espy
489:The Age
279:RocKwiz
262:RocKwiz
215:Rockwiz
154:History
147:Rockwiz
58:Address
743:
670:former
112:Opened
358:(PDF)
235:Music
590:2011
559:2008
521:2019
496:2019
470:2019
445:2008
419:2019
394:2019
369:2019
317:2017
124:The
117:1878
257:SBS
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
