New life for North Adelaide Railway Station
The North Adelaide Railway Station could soon be home to a new tenant, with a pop-up live music venue or hospitality venture suggested for the vacant building.
The Victorian-style North Adelaide Railway Station building is a State Heritage Place located in Possum Park/Pirltawardli and has stood vacant since café and retail store Red House Vintage closed in 2019.
Because of its state heritage status, operators are restricted from removing walls or altering the building’s overall layout which has made it a challenge to lease, Adelaide City Council’s City Community Services and Culture Committee heard last night.
A creative venture, like a hybrid live music and hospitality space, has been suggested to activate the space short-term through Renew Adelaide, the not-for-profit organisation that activates underutilised property across the Adelaide CBD.
Bad//Dreems members Ben Marwe, Alex Cameron, James Bartold & Miles Wilson. Alex, Ben and Miles have proposed a project to collaborate with music industry consultants and local businesses to revitalise the station.
Members from the ARIA-nominated rock band Bad//Dreems are potential operators for the spot, according to a proposal included in the committee’s agenda papers.
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The band has been vocal about challenges facing grassroots and independent music including a lack of small venues, limited music industry activity in SA and the dominance of big players like Live Nation nationally.
They’ve expressed interest through Renew to create a recording studio, rehearsal space and venue to mentor younger artists and make a difference in this space.
If it does become a music venue they’ll make changes like installing indoor soundproofing that’s not fixed to the dwelling to address noise concerns while maintaining the heritage, according to the proposal.
Renew Adelaide CEO Gianna Murphy told CityMag they’re grateful for the opportunity to propose an activation for “such an important heritage and community asset”.
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“We have been in discussion with a handful of potential operators to understand what opportunities this iconic site might present, and are confident we can support a culturally enriching activation for this precinct and community,” she said.
“We look forward to hearing the outcome of council’s decision regarding this beautiful site.”
For the hospitality aspect that’s been pitched to move into the venue’s large four-room space, Renew graduate Olivia Moore is one of the names floated in early talks.
Olivia owns Hindmarsh Square’s LOC Bottle Bar and was one of the first Renew Adelaide projects in the east end.
Once businesses get their start from Renew, they can negotiate a commercial lease with the lessor and continue operating in the space, as Olivia has done with LOC. This picture: Claudia Dichiera/CityMag
Councillor Carmel Noon said she loves the railway station premises and thinks this is a “fantastic step forward”.
“I think this is a great option especially using Renew Adelaide because they’re a tried and tested partner of the City of Adelaide and I have absolute faith in them to make this interim 12 months a success that will inform what we do in the future,” she said.
The committee were supportive of the council entering into a 12-month lease agreement with Renew to activate the space.
In the first half of 2025, they will also open expressions of interest to find longer-term tenants for the space, which will require approvals from the council and Kadaltilla/Adelaide Park Lands Authority.
In 2020, the council leased the North Adelaide Railway Station to the Kaurna Yerta Aboriginal Corporation (KYAC) to establish a Kaurna Community Hub, but KYAC withdrew from the opportunity in 2021.
While there has been interest from different organisations to lease the space since then, adapting the heritage space and little spontaneous foot traffic in the area have been challenges.