Historic Stepney hotel hit with $2 million water damage bill
A burst water main will force the Maid and Magpie hotel to shell out more than $2 million to repair the damage in a huge refit that will take around 12 months.
SA News
Don't miss out on the headlines from SA News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- A leaky water main in Adelaide’s east has caused traffic delay
- SUBSCRIBE NOW: 50c/day for first six months – Find out more
A burst water main will force a historic Adelaide hotel to shell out more than $2 million to repair the damage in a huge refit that will take around 12 months.
The state heritage listed Maid and Magpie on the corner of Payneham and Magill roads in Stepney is covered by scaffolding after sudden cracks in the walls forced owners Trent and Melissa Fahey to call in forensic engineers who said the hotel was the victim of a “massive water event”.
“We first noticed a crack that was growing. We have got to fix it, we’ll do what we are required to do with state heritage,” Ms Fahey said.
Such is the damage that the original part of the building – about half of the current hotel – will be demolished in January before a complete rebuild she said.
“That’s when the hotel is quieter. The walls will come down and the roof will come off.”
Scaffolding, which has already cost thousands, said Mr Fahey, has been put up around the affected front part of the hotel with repair work expected to last until next July followed by an internal refit lasting about four months.
But despite an expected drop in income of about 30 to 40 per cent over the coming year, the two storey hotel, which is passed by up to 50,000 vehicles daily, will remain open for business Mr Fahey said.
“There will be a complete facelift. We are renovating the good part of the hotel (also). If our customers are going to take the effort to come in, then it needs to be good.”
While the front will be shut to the public, customers can congregate in the back areas and outside in the beer garden where a pop up tented area – Captain Moonlight’s Garden Party, named after a larrikin who roamed the immediate area in the 19th century – has been set up to accommodate up to 500 people and will run until mid January.
“The kitchen is still fully operational and we will refresh what we are offering across the hotel,” an upbeat Mr Fahey said.
The hotel, which was bought by the Fahey family in 2005, has between 35 and 40 staff who have been unaffected by the closure.
