Boutique pub plan for Franco Cozzo furniture building in Footscray
The iconic Franco Cozzo furniture store in Footscray could soon be home to brand loved by many Melburnians.
Victoria
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A new boutique pub is being proposed for the iconic Franco Cozzo furniture store in Footscray.
Moon Dog Brewery wants to turn the 1960s landmark building on Hopkins St into a pub and dining venue with live music.
The distinctive Franco Cozzo sign would remain under the $900,000 plan submitted to Maribyrnong council.
The store has remained unchanged since the 1980s and still has some baroque-style furniture inside.
The plans intend to keep the two-storey structure and include a ground-floor fountain, a playground and a rooftop bar, with a total capacity for 900 patrons.
“The integration of playgrounds and extensive food menu seeks to service families within a causal environment,’’ the application states.
Live music is being proposed for both indoor and outdoor areas.
Moon Dog already has two locations – its original Abbotsford brewery and Moon Dog World in Preston.
Cozzo’s grandiose furniture and homemade TV advertising with cries of “megalo” and “grand sale” have made the Sicilian immigrant a household name and created a Melbourne multicultural icon.
A biopic of Cozzo’s rags to riches story was premiered at the Italian Film Festival last year and was shown recently on free-to-air TV.
The latest plans for Footscray come after major residential development on the eastern edge of Footscray and the Maribyrnong River edge.
The Urbis impact assessment, submitted to the council, said the proposed licensed premises would “deliver positive cumulative impacts to the area’’.
“The new venue will be accommodated in an existing building where patron activity areas have been designed to provide for a relaxed setting in both indoor and outdoor areas,’’ it stated.
A street-art mural of Cozzo adorns the side of the building on Shelley St.
The plans were lodged on October 31, and are now being advertised for public discussion.
The furniture king’s other store, on Sydney Rd, Brunswick, is still standing despite a plan for apartments in 2018.
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