Reborn Espy rejuvenates St Kilda's image as home of city's nightlife
“Southside is back,” enthused Doug Maskiell, one of the Espy’s new owners, days out from its reopening.
St Kilda has long been dogged with claims that some of its charm has faded, including that it’s lost its title as the home of Melbourne’s live music scene to the city’s north.
The closing of its iconic Esplanade Hotel three years ago, although always only temporary, seemed to seal its fate.
But it appears the long wait has been more than worth it, with its extensive restoration – including three live music stages, 12 bars and two restaurants – sure to help revive St Kilda’s status as a top nightlife destination.
“The Gerswhin Room is the MCG of music for a lot of people, it’s really hallowed turf,” Mr Maskiell said.
“To not have one of the best band rooms and best music and arts hotels in Melbourne operating has been a real shame.
“To have new life in it, to have it up and about and up on its toes, I think it is symbolic of a really bright future in the area.”
Mr Maskiell is one of five partners at hospitality group Sand Hill Road, which bought the Espy 18 months ago.
The attention to detail the team have brought to the beloved hotel is breathtaking.
Built to hold 17,000 people, their vision was for it to house a diverse range of entertainment venues – from the "wear what you like" old public bar to a new lift-serviced high-end cocktail bar – while remaining interconnected.
Lined with 1980s Espy band posters, the public bar has retained its grungy feel and is aimed to provide a place for up-and-coming bands to cut their teeth.
A glass retractable ceiling in the main bar’s foyer shows off the hotel’s original 1878 building, which sits behind a facade built in the 1920s.
Mr Maskiell said the group retained the historic parts of the hotel, while replicating any that weren’t so that it kept the same old-world feel.
“Anything that was original we kept or restored and we’re really showing off and celebrating,” he said.
Not to be stuck in the past, the hotel features a podcast studio open to the public to book and a brand new kitchen and casual restaurant where the car park once stood.
But it’s when you make your way up the main bar's grand stairs that the hotel really enters new territory.
The previously derelict levels now include Cantonese restaurant Mya Tiger, headed by former Longrain head chef Sarah Chan, and three cocktail bars.
You’ll need to get past a concierge on the ground floor to score a key that gets you to the more exclusive of the cocktail bars.
Bar The Ghost of Alfred Felton, on the top floor, is inspired by a resident from the turn of the last century who is credited with kick-starting Melbourne’s art scene when he bequeathed his fortune to the National Gallery.
It features a 100-year-old bar and is adorned with art and antiques scoured from around the world to make it look like his old rooms.
The hotel’s former owners, nightclub operators Paul Adamo and Vince Sofo, passed on this message as they celebrated the sale: “As much as you’ve bought the Esplanade Hotel, you’ll never own it.”
“And not a truer word has ever been spoken,” Mr Maskiell said on Monday.
“This venue has meant so much to so many people, who have a true connection with it, I’m just lucky to be part of it."
The Espy reopens on Friday.
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