The historic Commercial Hotel at Port Adelaide has been closed down by liquidators

Port Adelaide’s oldest licensed pub has shut its doors – and it’s unclear if and when it will reopen.

Port Adelaide’s oldest licensed pub has shut its doors – and it’s unclear if and when it will reopen.

The historic Commercial Hotel, on the corner of Commercial Road and Divett Street, is closed until further notice after an attempt to buy the business fell through this week.

The pub, established in 1841, fell into liquidation in May last year, and liquidators have since been running the pub under a management agreement.

But renewed efforts to purchase the business failed on Monday, and liquidators Alan Scott and Stuart Otway from SV Partners decided to close down the beloved venue.

The Commercial Hotel, Port Adelaide.

The interior of the Commercial Hotel, Port Adelaide, in the mid-2010s.

“We tried to sell it and someone pulled out, we tried to sell it again and we found out today that they weren’t abiding by the conditions we set so we’ve closed it and asked for the suspension of the (liquor) licence,” Mr Scott said.

“We’ll now meet with the landlord tomorrow, and we’ll go from there.”

Mr Otway said the Commercial Hotel was now for sale should an eligible buyer emerge.

“It’s not that expensive, we’re not talking millions of dollars. It’s been there for over a hundred years,” he said.

“The landlord and the liquor licensing people have to be satisfied but it’s available if someone wants it.”

First opened by John Thomas Haynes in January 1841, a fire gutted the pub in 1857 and it reopened in April 1869 as The Commercial, later being renamed as First Commercial Hotel.

In recent years, the pub’s owners switched the venue’s name back to the original Commercial Hotel.

Originally published as The historic Commercial Hotel at Port Adelaide has been closed down by liquidators