Re: News & Discussion: General CBD Development
Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 7:10 am
JAMIE Oliver's global chain of Italian restaurants looks set to come to Adelaide in a development that will transform one of the city's most prominent buildings.
The ground-floor banking chamber in the old Westpac building at the corner of King William Street and North Terrace will be turned into a spectacular dining room for Jamie's Italian under plans devised by the franchise's Australian owner , Pacific Restaurant Group.
The company also wants to use the basement strong rooms, where cash and bullion were kept secure in the bank's heyday, potentially as a bar.
The Westpac building was constructed in the midst of World War II and completed in 1942. It has been unoccupied since 2006 but is on the State Heritage Register.
The building's towering brass door still faces King William Street but much of the original interior has been stripped away.
Still, the managing director of PRG, Adam Heathcote, said the site had huge potential.
"The old banking chamber has so much personality," he said. "It has the potential to be an iconic dining space. You open that door and it's a cavernous space with lovely natural light that comes through the windows.
More: Where else did Jamie Oliver look in Adelaide?
"Where there is opportunity to reinvigorate and re-energise older space such as this one, from a design standpoint it provides an amazing canvas to start with."
Mr Heathcote said he had taken representatives from Jamie's Italian and its London-based design consultants through the building and they also were enthused.
The location fulfilled other key requirements including good passing traffic, high visibility and easy access for potential customers.
"We looked at a number of sites in Adelaide and 2 King William Street satisfies all these parameters and it has enormous history behind it and presents a unique opportunity as a consequence," he said.
PRG is negotiating with the building's owner, who is undertaking major strengthening work to ensure it meets current regulations.
Mr Heathcote said he was "quietly confident" a decision for the project to go ahead would be made in the next two months.
The president of the National Trust in SA, Professor Norman Etherington, said the organisation was pleased the building could be reborn.
"We can only applaud when someone finds a new use for a valuable building. It has a grand banking chamber, comparable in its impact to going into Edmund Wright House. It's an architecturally distinguished building of its time."
The Jamie's Italian franchise started in Oxford, England, four years ago and has now spread to 30 restaurants, mostly in the UK, but also in Ireland and Dubai. In Australia, outlets are operating in Sydney and Perth, with Canberra expected to open later this year.
All Australian outlets have the same menu of pasta and other Italian-leaning favourites, with most main courses priced under $30.
The famous chef, whose books and TV shows introduced many people to Italian cooking, has said that he is responsible for overseeing both the menus and design in the restaurants that carry his name.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/lifestyle ... ndinglinks
oh the memories ..