Ray Hadley slams demolition of George St buildings for hotel

Despite pleas from the National Trust, the City of Sydney and the NSW government have green lit developers to knock down two historic George St buildings to make way for a hotel expansion.

It’s where Australia’s first 24-hour radio broadcast was made and where The Easybeats recorded their first demo tape.

But, despite pleas from the National Trust about the historical significance of the old Globe Theatre and adjacent Dudley House, the City of Sydney and the state government have allowed developers to knock them down to build an extension of the QT Hotel.

Located opposite the QVB on George St near the Gowings building, the structures were built between 1914 and 1924.

The former Globe theatre at 458-466 George St (left) and Dudley House (right ) at 468-472 George St. Picture: Tim Hunter.

The Globe Theatre has an important role in our nation’s history, being the first spot where station 2UW Radio Beautiful broadcast around the clock in the 1940s.

That studio, contained in Sydney’s only surviving Victorian Romanseque style theatre, is also where Australian group The Easybeats — famous for Friday On My Mind — made their first demo recording.

Despite being described by the City of Sydney’s Central Sydney Planning Committee as a “good surviving example of an inter-war era radio theatre”, they agreed in November to let developers The Greater Union Organisation knock it down.

The Easybeats made their first demo recording at a studio in the old Globe Theatre.

Radio giant Ray Hadley slammed the decision.

“It’s not just because I work in radio and the globe theatre is important to the industry; this is about a link with our past,” the 2GB broadcaster said.

“The Globe Theatre is of great significance to the radio industry and to Australia generally.”

State government body Heritage NSW rebuffed the National Trust’s push to save the buildings in September 2019.

“This government has a terrible history when it comes to preserving our past,” Mr Hadley said.

“They have done it at Willowgrove at Parramatta to make way for the new Powerhouse Museum and they did it to the Royal Oak pub on Church St.

“If Jack Mundey — who was viewed as a radical back in the 1960s — had not stood up we would not have The Rocks.”

Historic images of the inside of the 2UW Radio Beautiful studio, at the old Globe Theatre on George St.

The committee said restoring the theatre would be an “onerous” task, with asbestos and lead paint throughout the building.

Developers of the $63 million development will be required to reconstruct an “interpretation” of the radio theatre, which will be used as a feature auditorium for conferences.

The new 51m building will contain a hotel lobby, cafe and retail premises at ground and level one, numerous bars, a terrace and 72 hotel rooms.

The development is part of the wider State Theatre precinct.

Dudley House is being knocked down to create a laneway link between Parlour Lane, located off Market St, and George St.

The new QT Hotel extension on George St being built by The Greater Union Organisation will feature a reconstructed ‘interpretation’ of the old theatre (right (.

A City of Sydney spokeswoman said: “The City have found that the proposed development, including demolition of the former Globe Theatre and Dudley House buildings, could be supported, subject to a range of heritage conditions, including reconstruction of the 2UW Radio Theatre, formulation of a comprehensive heritage interpretation strategy and archival recording of the buildings”.

A spokesman for Event Hospitality and Entertainment said they are unable to say exactly when the buildings will be demolished.

Ray Hadley has slammed the decision to demolish the old theatre. Picture: Getty

The decision contrasts with the City Tattersall’s Club redevelopment, in which planning authorities forced developers to build a 168m tower around the historic Lower Bar.

That bar, built in 1924, enjoyed a membership that included Dennis Lillee, Gough Whitlam, Robbie Waterhouse, Dawn Fraser and Abe Saffron and was a regular hangout of old-style bookmakers.

A Heritage NSW spokesman said “the heritage values of the properties were carefully considered and found most likely to be at a local heritage level, with appropriate consideration by the City of Sydney as the responsible local government body”.

Originally published as Ray Hadley slams demolition of George St buildings for hotel