In a sedate street just off Newtown’s bustling main drag lies a hidden gem poised to reinvigorate Sydney’s arts scene; that is if bureaucracy gets out of the way.
5 Eliza Street Newtown has a long association with the arts, starting life in 1858 as the Newtown School of Art and much later in the 21st century as home to the Sydney Fringe, MLC Galleries, many jazz functions and artists workshops and The Old 505 Theatre.
Under the pressure of Covid it closed in 2022 only to reopen briefly in 2023 when Rodney Rigby’s Newtheatricals staged Darkness, after which it shuttered again, this time for a new purpose rebuild for a 200 multi-configuration theatre, a 50-seat black box theatre, artists studios plus a cafe and dining/bar space.
Guiding this new $6million proposal for 5 Eliza is Greg Khoury, chairman of 5 Eliza’s Board of Trustees that have overseen the design and lodgement of a development application with the Inner West Council.
“Once council gives the go-ahead we expect the building process to take about 18 months,” Greg Khoury said.
From its 19th century origins the space has grown from two sandstone buildings at the rear and is now dominated by a 1916 building housing the ballroom at street level.
“Only the front building is two levels, and our plans are the extend the first building over the entire footprint of the site and create a partial second floor that will house the visual artists and effectively double the footprint, while preserving the interior and exterior architectural fabric and basically quadruple its use,” Khoury said.
“It is our intention that the main space upstairs will be flexible in its adaptations.”
Wheelchair access across the entire site is an important component of the new design, that has incorporated inputs from architect Andrew Andersons, whose previous theatre designs include the Roslyn Packer Theatre, City Recital Hall and the restoration of the Capitol Theatre.
5 Eliza is determined to remain indeed independent from government handouts, citing the community support that sustained the 140 or so School of Arts and Mechanics’ Institute projects across Sydney in the 19th century as inspirations.
“The arts schools were sentinels enacted by an act of parliament as a non- profit, and because a lot of them were situated on crown land the government never subsided them and they were all paid for by local communities,” Khoury said.
“5 Eliza has always been a self sustained operation and we are very keen to ensure that was enshrined, and in that sense we are not like a traditional arts organisation that requires ongoing operational funding.”
With the new Griffin Theatre build expected to be delivered late 2027, if the council apparatchiks get out of the way and the building gods are kind, we could see 5 Eliza adding to the sorely needed Sydney theatre space around the same time.
For more information about 5 Eliza, visit: www.5eliza.com.au for details.
Image: 5 Eliza – photo by John Moyle
Words: John Moyle