Heritage guarantee ensures popular Hopetoun Tea Rooms to remain
Certainty over the fate of the 128-year-old Hopetoun Tea Rooms has been up in the air after its owners went into voluntary administration, but now its future has been decided.
Victoria
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The 128-year-old Hopetoun Tea Rooms have been guaranteed heritage protection and will remain as a popular high-tea destination for years to come.
The Block Arcade general manager Grant Cohen confirmed the tourist attraction would retain its 19th century decor including the original black and gold glass frontage.
The rooms’ latest owners went into voluntary administration after the venue closed on March 19 and the business was put up for sale.
Phenomenally rare photo – the Hopetoun Tea Rooms without a queue! Marvel at this image. pic.twitter.com/oy2n7CKEVe
— Tim Richards (@Aerohaveno) May 2, 2020
Mr Cohen said he had advice from Heritage Victoria and the National Trust that the dining institution could not be altered by any future operators.
The Block Arcade is already heritage listed but Mr Cohen sought certainty over the tearooms’ internal fittings and decorative features.
“It’s a great day for a historic Melbourne building and it’s great news that it will be preserved and won’t be tampered with,’’ he told the Sunday Herald Sun.
“When the Block Arcade reopens we look forward to seeing the lines outside the tea rooms again.’’
The arcade and the tea rooms’ last owners Kelly and Kon Koutoumanos were locked in a legal dispute over their plans to expand the venue by creating a 200-seat eatery in the basement.
In May, the administrators sought expressions of interest to buy the business and its assets.
The team rooms became a major tourist drawcard for the arcade and the CBD, thanks to their spectacular cake window display and the queues of people lining up outside.
My favourite cakery in the whole world. â¤ï¸
— judy murray (@JudyMurray) January 14, 2019
Hopetoun Tea Rooms, Block Arcade, Melbourne. @AustralianOpen pic.twitter.com/RqFk0lAylY
Mr Cohen thanked Heritage Victoria and the National Trust for helping to ensure the property would continue as tea rooms.
“Everything you see will remain.’’
