Renovations of the burnt out Alexandria building which previously housed JD’s Sports Bar are expected to be completed within the next fortnight, with the property due to appear on the market soon after.
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The building was gutted by fire in September 2016 and has been closed since. The operators of JD’s opted to close the bar for good following arguments with the City of Ballarat over acquiring a 5am liquor licence earlier this year.
Their decision to vacate 24-32 Lydiard Street North coincided with the closure of the Alexandria Tea Rooms, housed upstairs in the 30 Lydiard Street North address.
The upstairs space did not suffer structural damage from the fire but was effected by the smoke.
In a statement landlord Lara Fekete said the property had received significant interest since the fire despite not being listed on the market.
She said the facility could be developed as a single business or as two separate entities.
“Upstairs has traditionally been leased out as wedding reception centre, restaurant, however we are open to some other use,” Ms Fekete said.
“It may well be that a potential tenant may wish to take upstairs and downstairs.”
Ms Fekete is currently in the process of transferring the building’s liquor license back into her name, with the intention of passing it on to a future tenant. It has been proposed that the downstairs area will remain a bar, however other uses for both upstairs and downstairs remain an option.
The Gravy Spot, which is located at 34 Lydiard Street North but in the same building, will continue to operate as normal.
“It’s a fantastic building and we are committed to its future in a great part of town,” Ms Fekete said.
The space which had previously been used at the TAB in the sports bar has been sealed up and will operate as an independent business. Despite operating within JD’s the TAB was under a separate lease and is part of the neighbouring building.
Professionals Real Estate agent Laurie Gillett said the building which was erected in 1872 was listed on the Heritage Victoria register and the preservation of its historical integrity would play a major role in any future developments.
“Any changes made to colours or that type of stuff needs to be signed off by Heritage Victoria,” Mr Gillett said.
“It’s very hard to see any major changes to the appearance of the upstairs area getting approved given that overlay.”
