Though The Lansdowne Hotel’s sticky floors, beer-soaked seats and $5 steak lunches will soon be a thing of the past, the iconic Sydney venue’s new owners have vowed to honour its live music history.
Music Feeds can confirm that the hotel’s owners, Oscars, have already sold off the site to Arc Education Group, who plan to transform the venue into a school of rock… of sorts.
As we reported earlier today, a development application has already been lodged to build a new education facility on the Lansdowne site, and now Arc’s COO, Issac Chung Lee, has shed some more light on their plans.
“The iconic Lansdowne Hotel will soon undergo a million dollar refurbishment to establish the new music campus for the Academy of Music and Performing Arts (AMPA),” he reveals. “Plans for the building include a major refurbishment of the performance and bar area, recording and practice studios, ensemble rooms, rooftop lounge, computer lab, editing suites and various teaching spaces.”
Lee also explains that, when they first started looking for a new site to build AMPA’s new campus, the Lansdowne’s historic ties to music made it the perfect choice.
“We also recognise the long history of the Lansdowne and it’s link with the live music scene in Sydney, and our plan is to continue offering opportunities for emerging and established artists to utilise the space as a performance venue,” Lee says. “It will also be an amazing opportunity for AMPA students to perform and be trained in a venue that has hosted some of Australia’s greatest musicians and bands.
“With this exciting project we hope that AMPA will breathe some much needed life into the Sydney music scene.”
While Lee was unable to go into more detail about what their exact live music plans would entail, we’re sure more will be revealed once the development application is approved.
Oscars Group meanwhile, have declined to comment on the sale, and have reportedly told hotel staff to keep their mouths shut about it as well. We therefore have no confirmation as to whether or not Sydney’s lockout laws have impacted their decision to shut up shop, as they have for so many other venues.
The Hotel has also yet to confirm when it will close its doors, although according to a fella who runs drum ‘n’ bass event Afterlife, the iconic den will call last drinks on August 29th.
Cheers for the good times, old girl.
Watch: I Am Duckeye – Punching Dicks Live @ The Lansdowne Hotel 2015
