The Imperial Erkskinville by Alexander &CO.
In the birthplace of Priscilla, The Imperial Erskineville lives up to its history as a fabulous LGBTQI+ venue celebrated in delicious design by Alexander &CO.
Words: Emma-Kate Wilson I Photography: Anson Smart
Alexander &CO pay homage to the raw history, retaining the aged aesthetics of an urban pub, worn timber, hardy tiles, and painted brick that still reveals texture and grit. Photo: Anson Smart
‘Something in the metaphor of Priscillas restaurant is the ability for this rawness to never feel like a construction site, but instead a theatre of colour, a visual outrage,’ says Jeremy Bull. Photo: Anson Smart
The iconic LGBTQI+ home of Priscilla was revamped in 2018 by Alexander &CO. The designers were tasked with transforming the ground floor, Imperial Hotel and the second floor, known as Imperial Up, complete with a pizza oven, outdoor courtyard, private dining room and bar.
‘As a cultural icon, it was the birthplace of the movie Priscilla and plays a pivotal role in the greater Sydney community as a historic theatre and event space,’ says Jeremy Bull, Principal of Alexander &CO. ‘It is dynamically programmed and responsive, turning from dining to dance floor with ease.’
On the ground floor, a 250-seat restaurant — Priscillas — takes shape as a ‘lost palace’, honouring its namesake with a vibrant colour and material palette. A healthy dose of pink spanning the velvet and leather seating, bricks, and marble countertops, while fringe adorns everything it can, from the light fittings to the fire hose reel.
‘The project is careful to reimagine this cultural building icon into a place of fantasy whilst respectfully acknowledging its LGBQTI custodians,’ says Jeremy. ‘It is outrageous, inclusive and fantastic but not light.’
Alexander &CO pay homage to the raw history, retaining the aged aesthetics of an urban pub, worn timber, hardy tiles, and painted brick that still reveals texture and grit. ‘Although the project feels immediately decorative, it is in fact a collection of robust building materials faced in make-up. Brickwork, concrete, steel, all represented in colour and high fidelity,’ Jeremy continues.
In the main bar, a bespoke cathedral-esque/Biblical fresco ceiling mural features the rainbow flag; the adjoining theatrical cocktail bar opens out onto an inner courtyard and garden.
‘The colour scheme is big and camp, with a reference to mid-century Miami Art Deco,’ says Jeremy Bull. Photo: Anson Smart
Bold colour and pattern can be found in every inch of the spaces. Photo: Anson Smart
“The three-level Imperial Hotel Erskineville is a ‘palace of pleasure’. This project represents the relaunch of one of Australia’s most revered LGBQTI safe-havens,”
“Amongst its array of colour and shape is the gravity of its legacy, the shadow of history cast upon its many surfaces. This is a place to celebrate and rediscover, but also a place with significant legacy, grit, sometimes even heaviness.”
‘The ground floor is made up of a 250-seat restaurant called Priscillas and has been conceived as a lost palace, a cabaret dreamscape of haphazardly replaced stone floor tiles and detailed timberwork. Various hand-forged steel-framed glass houses and kylights throw shadows over broken brickwork, hand-laid masonry arches and bespoke tile patterns.,’ says Jeremy Bull. Photo: Anson Smart
The designers were tasked with transforming the second floor, known as Imperial Up, complete with a pizza oven, outdoor courtyard, private dining room and bar. Photo: Anson Smart
Upstairs the interior design leaves behind this rugged look into something decidedly more finessed. ‘Historically, the upper level housed the colour, costume and character of the Drag Queen’s dressing rooms as they prepared for their evening shows. This legacy is translated into the lighthearted energy and kaleidoscopic material palette of the space,’ says Jeremy.
The designers ran with thematics of a ‘funtown Matisse’ aesthetic; Imperial UP was conceived as an ‘Arts Social Club’. Evocative of Studio 54 and Andy Warhol’s factory with quirky retro collectables including brass palm tree console, geometric brass table lamps and cross-stitched fabric bucket chairs.
‘The colour scheme is big and camp, with a reference to mid-century Miami Art Deco,’ says Jeremy. ‘Sunbleached pinks cavort with mustards and burgundy, a wild Mardi Gras of idiosyncratic shapes, furnishings and colour.’
In 2019, the venue opened the first same-sex marriage cathedral on the rooftop, cementing its place —yet again— as a cultural leader in the LGBTQI+ space. The interior design only serves to continue this narrative of both fun and celebration, a fabulous haven for all.