Rhino Room, Urban Cow and Howling Owl turfed out to make room for city’s tallest building
NEXT year’s Fringe will be the last for The Rhino Room, Urban Cow Studio and The Howling Owl — the Frome St premises are to be vacated to make way for a development tipped to be the city’s tallest.
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NEXT year’s Fringe will be the last for iconic Adelaide comedy club The Rhino Room, which — along with sibling venues Urban Cow Studio and The Howling Owl — will be kicked out of its Frome St premises in May.
The three venues have to be out of the Frome St building by the end of May next year to make way for what will become Adelaide’s tallest building.
Kyren Group bought the site — which includes the Gerard & Goodman building, a multistorey carpark and Eckersley’s building, home to Eckersley’s Art & Craft — from Adelaide University last year for $27 million. It will become a hotel/apartment complex.
The owner/operator of the three venues, Mick Krieg, said he was “sick to the stomach” when he received the news from negotiators.
He said he had tried to buy the building separately from the university in the past but was denied, as the building was packaged with the carpark.
“I’m really disappointed with the building department and their attitude to take the simple road out and get as much money as they could for the large portion of land,” he said.
Mr Krieg said one of the “saddest things” was that the State Government removed the Gerard & Goodman building’s heritage listing in 2013. “Our building was built in the 1850s and wasn’t protected ...,” he said.
“We talk about all these buildings around Adelaide in a state of disrepair and whether we should keep them or not, but this building is in good condition.”
For now, it’s business as usual at the venues and Rhino Room will go ahead with its Fringe schedule. Mr Krieg said he was seeking a new location for the venues.
“Hopefully we will be able to relocate them but it’s unlikely we’ll be able to keep them together,” he said.
Urban Cow studio was established in 1993, followed by comedy venue Rhino Room in 1998 and Howling Owl cafe and bar in 2012.
The Rhino Room will launch a crowdfunding campaign this week to rally support and funding for a new location.
Adelaide University said the building had sold last year and it was no longer responsible for the tenants.