Plans for Olympia Milk Bar site on Parramatta Rd, Stanmore, lodged with Inner West Council

It’s featured in a novel, two songs, several artworks and even a radio documentary. Now there’s a new plan for the site of a beloved milk bar, which boasts thousands of Facebook fans.

A run-down 1950s-era milk bar is set for a modern makeover as part of development plans to revive the site, which thousands of motorists pass each day.

The dilapidated Olympia Milk Bar would undergo a restoration overhaul as part of a $953,000 proposal lodged by the new owner of the crumbling Stanmore site.

It has been nearly a decade since the Parramatta Rd milk bar closed its doors in 2017, having been run by the same owner – Nick Fotiou – for more than 50 years.

Mr Fotiou died in October last year.

Since the closure, the site has been boarded up to keep the public out, with internal sections of the building falling into a state of neglect.

A concept image of the redevelopment.

Despite the run-down state of the building, the milk bar has built up a cult following of local fans and even has its own Facebook page followed by more than 7000 people.

The milk bar has also featured in at least one novel, two songs, several artworks, and was the subject of a radio documentary.

The site has seen better days.

New development plans lodged with the Inner West Council have now revealed the site could be given a new lease of life under plans to reopen the ground level milk bar as a food and drink premises.

The plans, put forward by inner west local Paul Barone following his $940,000 purchase of the site in 2023, also include turning the two upper levels of the building into an apartment with bedrooms, living areas and a rooftop terrace.

Photos show the derelict state of the building includes cracked plaster work in walls and holes in roofing panels.

Many of the decade=old advertisements still remain intact, including signs for Milky Bars, Pepsi and Streets Ice Cream.

The current run-down state of the building.

Mr Barone said his aim was to keep the milk bar as largely intact as possible.

He also plans to live in the apartment above with his family.

“I genuinely want to bring it back to how it was and hopefully show that the milk bar still has a future in Sydney,” he said.

“It’s very neglected building, but I’ve tried to save all the bits of pieces that were salvageable and are of use.

“At the moment, I've got a garage full of stuff that we’re look to revitalise wherever we can.

“Everyone has romanticised the shop and has wanted it to brought back to exactly how it was, but unfortunately some of the items were so beyond repair they genuinely can’t be reused.”

The Inner West Council has previously granted the site local heritage protection status in recognition of its “rare surviving suburban art deco” architecture.

Development plans for the site stated the works would “seek to restore a heritage item of local significance, and provide additions which are sympathetic to the existing heritage qualities of the building”.

According to the plans, the works would also “greatly improve the streetscape character of the site”.

“The proposed new works provide the incentive, the opportunity and the funding to restore the milk bar, which is the most significant part of the building,” the plans state.

The plans are currently under assessment.