St Kilda’s Hotel Esplanade, lovingly dubbed The Espy, has revealed some details pertaining to its massive renovation, with plans to reopen in November this year. The iconic venue will return as one of Melbourne’s most dynamic cultural hubs for food, drink, music and arts.
New owners, hospitality group Sand Hill Road, set out with the aim of restoring the building to its former glory to celebrate its proud past, whilst adding new elements to give the 140-year-old structure a modernised feel – spending the last twelve months gaining community feedback and revisiting The Espy’s history in order to do the job right.
The most notable changes will be the additional space which has been utilised through opening previously off-bounds areas to the public. Exciting additions including a new specialty speak-easy style cocktail bar on the top floor, a podcast studio for locals to record their shows or listen to others’ live, Mya Tiger – a Cantonese restaurant and accompanying cocktail bar, and three bandrooms. The owners have kept iconic spaces like the Gershwin Room in tact with minimal changes.
The top floor cocktail bar, named The Ghost of Alfred Felton, is a tribute to the late Alfred Felton who once resided within the hotel. The chemist and art-enthusiast, who died in 1904, inspired the new owners to restore the top floor as a homage to him upon researching his incredulous past which involved learning he left his wealth to various domestic violence charities as well as the National Gallery of Victoria. The owners hoped to capture the spirit of Felton through restoring the top floor using archival photos of his rooms.
The main goal for the new and improved Espy is to keep the essence of the venue alive whilst freshening it up to encourage people of all types to enjoy the space and its numerous offerings. The venue will allow for everything from sophisticated cocktails and stunning seaside views to live gigs, pints and pizza. There’s no official opening date for The Espy just yet, so keep your eyes peeled for more details to come.
