1 hour ago
2
Before the opening of the picture palace, West’s Olympia Theatre in Darlinghurst’s Oxford Street in 1911, readers of Truth were told it would have the best photo melodrama of the day.
No skill had been spared to make it the finest possible theatre for the “exposition of moving scenes”.
The former picture palace is reopening in October as 25hours Hotel The Olympia. Credit: Sitthixay Ditthavong
For the next 100 years, the drama of the streets nearby was matched on screen with movies such as Rogues and Romance and A Trip to Paradise. Many remember it as the Paddington Twin, but to others it is all about Kylie (Minogue, of course) and her partying in the Grand Pacific Blue Room.
The 1570-square-metre site was sold to Central Element and Boston Global about seven years ago. And a mix of COVID-19 and other factors turned the area into a dead zone, say some.
Now its impending October 9 reopening as a new hotel, 25Hours The Olympia, is being seen by locals as a sign that the Golden Mile has its high heels back.
Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore on the rooftop of 25hours Hotel The Olympia, opening in October.Credit: Sitthixay Ditthavong
Visiting the new hotel housed behind the old facade on the corner of Oxford and South Dowling streets, City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore admired the mix of heritage with the new.
The foyer includes a riff on an old ticket box office, and VHS videos are available for play.
Some floors look like pink confetti left over from Mardi Gras.
It might not be open yet, but its rooftop bar and restaurant, Monica, with its view north-east across Taylor Square and to the Harbour Bridge, is taking bookings for next Mardi Gras.
Its four restaurants and cafes include Jacob the Angel, the first retail venue to sell Lune Croissanterie outside the owner’s shops, cocktail wine bar The Mulwray, and the Palomar restaurant.
Rooftop of 25hours Hotel The Olympia.Credit: Sitthixay Ditthavong
Each venue can be accessed from the street.
Moore said the new Olympia would be a catalyst in the continuing revitalisation of Oxford Street.
“It’s going to be beautiful, and there’ll be lots of things happening. It’s on the cusp of transformation. Our bike lanes have already gone in,” Moore said.
Council was approving extra floor space for developers if they included areas for the community or that could be used for cultural events.
Kylie Minogue made guest appearances at the old Olympia’s Grand Pacific Blue Room. Here she is still partying in 2025.Credit: Joe Armao
Moore said she had been working to commemorate and celebrate the area’s LGBTQ community and history. That included the transformation of the old Darlinghurst police station into QTOPIA, a queer cultural centre.
The area was once home to gay bathhouses, and bars such as Gilligan’s and Ivy’s Birdcage.
Other venues, such as the Taxi Club and Ruby Reds, known as an all-girls club, were going to get some love. “They’re all undergoing new life,” Moore said.
A guide to the ‘Golden Mile’ published in the Oxford WeekenderNews.Credit: Scott McKinnon, University of Wollongong in The Conversation
Moore made history by being the first member of the Legislative Assembly to march in the Mardi Gras. It created an absolute frenzy among the media, she said.
“The sky was going to fall in, and I would never be re-elected,” said Moore, the longest serving mayor since the City of Sydney was formed.
Most Viewed in National
Loading
