When the boys from Aussie hospitality group Sand Hill Road heard that their old local was earmarked for demolition, they weren’t about to stand by and watch it happen. The Terminus Hotel, known as “The Grand Old Lady” of Melbourne suburb Abbotsford, dodged a bullet thanks to the efforts of Matt Mullins and colleagues, and is now open for business again after a major makeover from regular SHR design collaborators Techne Architecture + Interior Design.
The Grand Old Lady wasn’t looking at her best when Techné got to work, and the brief was to give the place a thorough overhaul while still retaining plenty of the old character. In this spirit the 1923 heritage protected façade was restored, while retaining the well-known green paint job, and old parts of the interior have been replaced with modern interpretations; an example is the Art Deco front bar. Never a place to take itself too seriously, The Terminus has continued in that vein by adding the kitsch Paris Tropical upstairs bar. The encroachment of high-rise building all around had started to choke the neighbourhood a bit, so Techné decided to combat this by adding a lush green garden area in which locals could escape the surrounding concrete jungle. Punters can rest assured that the beer is up to snuff as well, as the unpasteurised Carlton Draught on tap here comes straight from the brewery located just two minutes down the road. Here’s to the return of the Grand Old Lady.
