All Abuzz: That's The New Hey, Hey, Haymarket
Sydney Morning Herald
Thursday July 8, 1993
Shortly before Bar Roma moved to Elizabeth Street five years ago, Frank Sartor sat in the famous coffee shop in Hay Street sharing his dream about the restoration of the nearby Capitol Theatre over a cappuccino with Bob Carr.
Yesterday, the Lord Mayor of Sydney was hailing the return of his favourite coffee shop to Hay Street as a great symbol of the revitalisation of the southern end of the city.
And of course, when a finely restored Capitol Theatre becomes a reality in some 18 months' time, the Haymarket area will be positively buzzing with excitement, Councillor Sartor said.
The Roma, which moved to Elizabeth Street when its building was demolished, has returned as an integral part of the shopfront of the 31-storey Sydney Central building, which opened its retail section this week.
Two heritage buildings, The Manse, built around 1850, and the Fire Station, purpose-built as Sydney's first fire station in 1857, were preserved and restored and a tall glass office tower was built behind them.
The original Australian Gas Light Company showroom, which in the 1890s featured a raised platform for free cookery demonstrations and home economics lectures, has been beautifully restored and will probably function as a restaurant.
Developed by Australian Estate Management, the tower will provide accommodation for 2,500 public servants from government departments such as Social Security, Immigration and Local Government and Ethnic Affairs as well as the Australian Archives and the Australian Customs Service.
The property, which was acquired by the Whitlam Government in 1975 for $7.5 million, will provide 44,000 square metres of office accommodation and 3,800 square metres of retail space.
Councillor Sartor believes Sydney Central, with its mix of office workers, shops and restaurants, will inject new life into the Haymarket precinct.
"It's quite a buzz really," Cr Sartor said yesterday. "It's been a bit sad and glum in that part of town but now it's really moving and becoming a quite interesting part of the city."
Sydney City Council's chief town planner, Mr John McInerney, said the southern end of the city was really picking up after a long period of decay. The new court building that the State Government was erecting behind the old Mark Foy's building would bring a lot of legal activity back, and a number of Meriton residential developments would bring back the residents.
Mr McInerney said a light rail link, which will be running by 1996, would run right through the southern end of the city and link it to Pyrmont, Darling Harbour and the Entertainment Centre.
Councillor Elizabeth Farrelly said the area started dying slowly in the 1940s when the newly formed central business district "dragged the centre of gravity of the city northwards".
"Having Chinatown there is a wonderful generator but the really important thing is to get the residents in there because they support shopping on a small scale and that's what makes an area vibrant."
© 1993 Sydney Morning Herald
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