Iconic Swillhouse Group venue Frankie’s will soon sling its last pizza by the slice after it was announced the venue will be demolished to make way for a new Sydney Metro station at Hunter Street.
Swillhouse said they found out the news last Wednesday when a letter was slipped under the door informing them that the building was to be demolished. The group said that after a first few days that felt like a dream, they fast-tracked through the grief stages to get to the good stuff, because “no-one wants a sad Frankie’s”.
In statement, Swillhouse said: “We are taking this opportunity to raise the stakes yet again and really give the people what they want, while we can.
“There’s been a lot to digest in a short amount of time so we’re doing our very best with that, and helping our staff through the process also. The long-term fate for Frankie’s as we know it is out of our control, but our legacy as one of the world’s great Rock bars is set in stone.
“The people are on our side, and we are taking this opportunity to give them our very best while we still can. Every resource and all of our energy will be poured into the ‘final campaign’, our last great statement, there are still memories to be made, the biggest year in our history starts now.
“Frankie’s Pizza will not just continue to have the most comprehensive live music program in Sydney, we are taking it to a new level. We are adding more bands and more bills and quite literally programming fully fleshed out events for every single day of the year, right up til’ the fat lady sings. Expect consistent announcements with tonnes of events planned, collaborations, launches, and huge acts to host.
“Truly, thanks to everyone for the support. Stay tuned to our socials and newsletters for further announcements of upcoming events.”
The live music venue is said to be a popular haunt for politicians and government workers and Transport Minister Andrew Constance promised the venue would be looked after and relocated.
“Frankie’s is an important part of Sydney’s live music scene and we will make sure it is properly supported during this challenging time,” Constance said.
“Sydney Metro is assigning Frankie’s a dedicated acquisition manager to guide them through this process and to help find another location.”
The Hunter Street station sees 11 commercial buildings in the CBD affected, including 50-58 Hunter Street, home to Frankie’s and the Hunter Connection building, and Constance added: “The Hunter Connection is part of that acquisition program but we will work with those businesses, compensate those businesses, we’ll help relocate those businesses.
“Due to COVID there’s quite a significant vacancy rate across the city, we have seen an increase in the vacancy rate of about eight per cent, so there will be that opportunity for businesses to re-establish themselves.”
Last week NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian confirmed that a station for the Metro West rail line would be built between Pyrmont Bridge Road and Union Street in Pyrmont – close to The Star.
The casino owner said the construction of the station puts its plans for a high-rise tower in the area.
“This leaves at grave risk a Star masterplan which would help deliver an additional $1 billion in tourism assets and infrastructure via two hotels, new dining and entertainment precincts and around 2000 jobs,” a spokesperson for The Star said.
“We will seek urgent engagement with government to determine if and how our plans can be progressed in tandem with the Metro station development.”
The Metro West line is scheduled to be completed around 2030, with tunnelling to begin on this stage late next year, and the line will link the CBD with Parramatta and Westmead.
To begin its final hurrah, Frankie’s has made its happier a whole lot happier with pizza slices just $1 from 4-6pm, every day, starting Monday 24 May.