By Benjamin Millar
Footscray MP Katie Hall has vowed to fight for the heritage protection of The Reverence Hotel after the Footscray live music venue’s operators announced they were pulling down the curtain.
Matt and Melanie Bodiam are calling last drinks after six-and-a-half years, announcing they will shut the pub in early March after failing to secure a new lease.
Mr Bodiam told Star Weekly the decision was difficult, but their hands were forced after operating on a month-to-month basis since their lease ran out six months ago.
Mr Bodiam, who grew up in Footscray, said pubs were a nightmare to maintain and the couple could no longer justify sinking money into the property when they could be kicked out with no more than a month’s notice.
“We are not overly rapt about the whole situation,” he said. “There is no certainty – this is our home and we have a young son who needs close to 24-hour care and he starts school next year.”
He said he would love to be able to take the venue’s operations and popular following to a new hotel, but set-up costs were too high.
Star Weekly last year reported that the hotel’s owners had put the site on the market and were pitching it at developers.
An online listing described the property, built in 1876 and formerly known as The Exchange, as a “fantastic freehold development” with “potential to build to up to six levels”. The pub has an asking price of $3.5 to $4 million, putting it out of the reach of most hotel operators.
Advanced Hospitality Brokers agent Mark Durnan said the owners were in no rush to sell, but were no longer willing to continue leasing the property without substantially increasing the rent.
The property is listed on the Heritage Council database due to its archaeological significance.
Ms Hall said she had contacted Maribyrnong council and the Footscray Historical Society to ensure the hotel had adequate heritage protection against demolition.
“I’m deeply concerned about the loss of heritage fabric in Footscray,” she said.
“I do have an interest in both live music and heritage. I think The Reverence has made an important cultural contribution in our community as well.”
