An icon of the city’s entertainment scene, Frankie’s Pizza, will be demolished to make way for the Sydney Metro – a loss that may be mourned on Macquarie Street more than anywhere else.
The late-night pizza joint, live music den and nightclub on Hunter Street is a regular after-party destination for political staffers and journalists, as well as a CBD staple of Sydney’s oft-maligned nightlife.
“Without Frankie’s, government staff will have nowhere to go to hook up with normal people, and the Parliament will get even more weird and incestuous,” said Liberal-aligned political consultant John Macgowan. He also called its destruction “sacrilege”.
Punters lined up to get into Frankie’s Pizza on the night lockout laws were phased out in January 2020.Credit:Cole Bennetts
The metro line will also tear a path through the beloved Hunter Connection food court, famed for offering delicious laksa at low prices.
Last week the state government announced that stations for the Metro West line would be built in Pyrmont between Pyrmont Bridge Road and Union Street, and in the CBD at Hunter Street.
Maps show two construction sites for the Hunter Street station; one at the corner of George and Hunter streets, the other on Hunter Street between O’Connell and Bligh streets, which takes in Frankie’s Pizza By The Slice.
The dismay was evident among government staffers when The Sun-Herald made inquiries, but 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,” he said. “Sydney Metro is assigning Frankie’s a dedicated acquisition manager to guide them through this process and to help find another location.”
A Sydney Metro spokesman said all owners and tenants being acquired would be offered compensation in accordance with the Just Terms Act. “Typically, tenants will be offered compensation for relocation and fit-out on a like-for-like basis,” he said.
Frankie’s Pizza owner Anton Forte of the Swillhouse Group was reached for comment but said he needed to brief staff first.
Tunnelling for the $27 billion Metro West project is due to start late next year. The line will run from the CBD to Westmead via the Bays Precinct, Five Dock, Burwood North, North Strathfield, Olympic Park and Parramatta.
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Michael Koziol is deputy editor of The Sun-Herald, based in Sydney.
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2021-05-15 09:00:00Z
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