The Imperial Hotel

by Alexander & Co.

Alexander & Co. had the honour of transforming one of Sydney’s most iconic venues and crafting a design that did justice to the important historical context of the project.

The three level Imperial Hotel Erskineville is a ‘palace of pleasure’. This project represents the relaunch of one of Australia’s most revered LGBQTI safe havens. As a cultural icon, it was the birthplace of the movie Pricilla and plays a pivotal role in the greater Sydney community as a historic theatre and event space. Dynamically programmed and responsive, turning from dining to dance floor with ease.

The ground floor is made up of a 250 seat restaurant called Priscillas, The Ground Floor of the Imperial bar and 250 seat restaurant is called Priscillas and has been conceived as a lost palace, a cabaret dream scape of haphazardly replaced stone floor tiles and detailed timberwork. Various hand forged steel-framed glass houses and skylights throw shadows over broken brickwork, hand laid masonry arches and bespoke tile patterns. The melted wax from the central fireplace and hearth in contrast to the vivid colour ways of the furniture and the dirty pink tones of the detailed ceilings and walls.

The project is illuminated by various repurposed lamp shades and brass wall sconces. Carefully curated fringed pendants throw shadow upon table settings whilst the main entry is notably illuminated by broke-down chandeliers. The space also features a private dining area and open kitchen. The main bar also on the ground Floor features a bespoke cathedral-esque ceiling mural and the garden cocktail bar opens out onto a glazed enclosure to an inner courtyard and wintergarden.

The upper level pizzeria and bar is called Imperial UP and features an outdoor golden pizza oven, bar and an indoor cocktail bar, private dining room, lounge and seating. Imperial UP is Alexander & Co’s versions of the ‘Arts Social Club’. Think quirky collector with an Art Deco flair. The studio’s contemporary version of Gertrude Stein’s salon. It is lighter and brighter with a ‘funtown Matisse’ aesthetic featuring quirky retro collectibles such as a palm tree console, geometric table lamps, cross stitched bucket chairs, and customized carpet inspired by the geometric avant- garde. The ‘Golden Lady’, an icon repurposed from the lower floor and re lacquered in gold sits atop the bar to suit the theme. The colour scheme is big and camp with a reference to mid century Miami Art Deco, sun bleached pinks cavort with mustards and burgundy, a wild Mardi Gras of idiosyncratic shapes, furnishings and colour.

There is also a lower level nightclub and Australia’s first same sex marriage Cathedral is due to open in 2019 on the rooftop.

The project is careful to reimagine this cultural building icon into a place of fantasy whilst respectfully acknowledging its LGBQTI custodians. It is outrageous, inclusive and fantastic but not light. Amongst its array of colour and shape is the gravity of its legacy, the shadow of history cast upon its many surfaces. This is a place to celebrate and rediscover, but also a place with significant legacy, grit, sometimes even heaviness.

Although the project feels immediately decorative, it is in fact a collection of robust building materials faced in make up. Brick work, concrete, steel, all represented in colour and high fidelity. Something in the metaphor of Priscillas restaurant is the ability for this rawness to never feel like a construction site, but instead a theatre of colour, a visual outrage.

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