One of Melbourne's most treasured live music institutions, The John Curtin Hotel, will close in November due to the building's sale to developers.
The Curtin Hotel operators, much-loved within the Melbourne music scene, confirmed their rumoured closure over Facebook, along with a photo of the building with a ‘For Sale’ sign.
The owners of the 150-year-old building have decided to sell to developers, and although it’s still unclear whether the venue will be closed permanently in order to turn the building into apartments, the music venue’s operators have confirmed their time has come to an end.
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“The rumours are true,” their statement read. “It’s with an agonisingly sad heart, that The John Curtin hotel’s time on this earth will come to an end. The owners of the almost 150 year old building have decided to sell, making way, most likely for apartments.”
The venue’s operators also confirmed that their current lease expires in November, appealing for the community to get behind the venue in the meantime, and send it out with a flourish. Curtin punters extended their grief over social media, with many bands noting the venue’s proud history in supporting the local rock scene.
“We (my home and work family) have a lease until the end of Nov this year,” the statement continued. “Beyond that, we have no idea what the developers will have planned for us. We will have a lot more to say on the matter down the line, but I assure you, we will go out with a BANG! If you have never played but would like to, if you sold out the room and would like to do it again, if you want to claim your piece of history – bands NOW IS YOUR TIME.
“Contact our incredible booker, [email protected]. Once these restrictions ease we can party a bit more but until then, hope to see your faces over the bar at some point real soon – don’t be a stranger. We need you now more than ever. Love, Rusty, Imogen, Sonny, Peaches + all of the Curtin family.”
The Curtin’s closure is part of a devastating ongoing trend of closures in Melbourne and Sydney’s live music scenes, spearheaded by rising property prices and low rental incomes during the pandemic. For a greater idea of some of the classic live music venues Melbourne has lost in recent years, check out our article here.
Otherwise, head to The Curtin’s Facebook page here to pay tribute to one of Melbourne’s best live music venues.
