Third CBD pub bites the dust as The Reserve closes its doors

A Darwin City pub has closed its doors, adding to the growing list of CBD shutdowns. Read which one.

The old Commonwealth Bank building Smith Street Darwin

A Darwin CBD hotel has shuttered its doors just two years after it reopened.

The Reserve hotel, at the southeastern side of the city on the corner of Bennett and Smith streets, is up for lease.

The old Commonwealth Bank building has been a hospitality venue for a numberof years, beginning with Mitch McNamee opening Rorkes before it morphed into the Smith Street Social and then The Reserve.

Over the past two years it had been operated by seasoned hospitality experts Brett Dixon and Brad Morgan, but failed to thrive despite the success of their Berrimah-based operation, The Midway.

Territory businessman Brett Dixon.

“The city is dead,” Mr Dixon said.

“It just didn’t work. The amount of trade we’re getting in the CBD, especially that end of town, doesn’t warrant the business being open.

“The Deck Bar and Wisdoms have both gone and we did the best we could.

“We paid everyone up that we owed, made sure our suppliers and staff were all paid out and then we shut the doors.

“It’s sad. We invested a lot into it and we thought we could turn it from where it was, but even last Dry Season was down compared to other years.

Renovating the old Commonwealth Bank building on the corner of Bennet and Smith Streets, Darwin

“Leading into the Wet Season when trade really drops off it became apparent we would just continue to tear money up so we decided it was better off closing the doors rather than trade insolvent.

“It was a hard decision because we had a group of investors who put a sizeable amount of money into it, but unfortunately it’s not viable at the moment based on the level of trade in that part of town, or the CBD.

“It was busy on weekends but you need more than that. We had a lot of issues with itinerants as well. It was a focal point and we had a lot of windows broken and break-ins, which doesn’t help.

The old Commonwealth Bank building in Smith Street, Darwin.

“It wasn’t the sole reason for it underperforming, but it all weighs up I suppose. You’ve got to cut the losses, which is exactly what we’ve done.”

Would he consider another CBD venture in future?

“Business has its ebbs and flows, and we’re always looking for the next opportunities,” he said.

The building is a Darwin landmark, constructed in 1940 and registered as a heritage place since 1996.

The bank building is also listed on the Register of National Estate and on the National Trust Register of Significant Places.

A statement of heritage value prepared by Sydney-based Hassell architects described the building as “an excellent example of an inter-war functionalist style used to represent the forward looking approach of the administration of the Commonwealth Bank”.

For now, the historic site sadly sits shuttered and surrounded by temporary fencing.

Originally published as Third CBD pub bites the dust as The Reserve closes its doors