Shocked architect reveals plans to turn heritage hat factory into a glitzy hotel were ‘imminent’

Before it was razed, there were plans to turn the Randle St building into a glitzy 114-room hotel, to be dubbed The Hat Hotel because of its history as a millinery factory.

Before a fire destroyed the heritage-listed building, there were plans to turn the Randle St building into a glitzy hotel.

A development application was filed in 2019 to transform the Edwardian period property at an estimated cost of $40m.

A 114-room design was selected, with the project dubbed The Hat Hotel because, for the majority of its life, the building was used for millinery.

The architects whose design was chosen, Tonkin Zulaikha Greer, are Surry Hills locals, and the owners appear to be as well.

Property records show the building is owned by Hanave Pty Limited.

Design images for the hotel proposed at Randle St, Surry Hills.

The architect responsible for the hotel design, Tim Greer, was in shock when contacted by The Daily Telegraph.

“I’m still processing what happened, as we designed a beautiful hotel for this site, and were very much looking forward to seeing it built. Looks like that won’t happen,” he said.

The hotel was to boast an bustling urban environment where noise and privacy issues have been carefully considered.

However, Dr Greer confirmed the project was still live prior to the blaze.

“Construction was imminent,” he said.

“It was up to seeking a building contract.”

Hanave is wholly owned by 74-year-old Sydney man Robert Burke. The company has two directors — the other is Geula Burke, originally from Israel.

Design images for the hotel proposed at Randle St, Surry Hills.

On company records both give as their address a nearby property on Devonshire St, Surry Hills.

Mr Burke was appointed as a director of Hanave in 1979; Ms Burke joined in 1995 and is its secretary.

According to a 2016 conservation management strategy, the site was first purchased in 1908 and used for storage.

Two years later it was bought by Charles Henderson and a hat factory was constructed, specialising in straw hats and headwear for children and women.

The building was designed by Thomas Pollard Sampson who had married into the Henderson family.

Design images for the hotel proposed at Randle St, Surry Hills.

Henderson owned the site for half a century until it went into liquidation in 1958.

The new owners continued to use some of the site for millinery. A subdivision saw other clothing businesses move in.

Hanave purchased the site in 1978 and part of the building became a gym, while architects leased the ground floor in 1987.

The heritage listing is connected to the site’s days as a hat factory.

In 2020, a chunk of the building was advertised as commercial office space.

The agency marketing the site described it as a “buzzing co-working hub” with “excellent photo studio facilities”.

According to the Tonkin Zulaikha Greer website, the proposed hotel was to transform “the handsome Henderson Hat manufacturing warehouse building into a vibrant hotel that acts as a catalyst for connecting and reactivating the surrounding public domain.

“Located in a bustling urban environment, noise and privacy has been carefully considered in the design of the hotel.”

The site continues: “Guests are protected by means of room orientation, window location, furniture layout, and — at the most exposed face of the building — an impressive cladded screen.”