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Imperial launches new stiletto bid

imperial-hotel.jpgThe owner of the Imperial Hotel has lodged new development applications in a renewed bid to enhance the look of the venue and increase numbers.

Proprietor Shadd Danesi wants a giant stiletto affixed on the roof of the venue, as well as see an increase to the hotel’s footprint.

In June earlier this year, Sydney City Council rejected Danesi’s original proposal for a rotating stiletto because it classified the structure as signage not art. It also rejected his application for 788 patrons in the Cellar, Cabaret and Priscilla Bars. Instead, he was approved with 442 patrons.

Under the new proposal, the new stiletto will be fixed and smaller in size. It will also be of art-deco design, very similar to that seen in the film, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Danesi said such a structure would have direct relevance to the venue.

“We see it as art work and we definitely don’t see it as signage,” Danesi told SX. 

In regards to numbers, Danesi said that he is forced to lodge a new application because of continuing concerns of having such an excessive number of people lining up in a queue

He is still seeking to have the original number of 788 patrons approved.

He failed to see why council would allow patrons to be on the footpath, subject to homophobic abuse and traffic, when they can be in a safe, sound-proofed and controlled environment.

Having those people in a queue can also impacts on the neighborhood’s amenities, Danesi said.

Danesi’s approval in June was also subject to a number of conditions, such as a trial period.

But Danesi said that while he conceded that a trial period was fair, having 346 patrons in the queue only set him up to fail.

“It’s just so disappointing that [Lord Mayor] Clover Moore and [Councillor] John McInerney won’t say that they’re better off with 346 people off the street and inside a purposely-built, sound-proof, controlled environment.”

The Imperial is now scheduled to open in early October.

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written by David Norton , August 15, 2008

Exactly who does Danesi think he is kidding? Even with the old limit of 306 patrons (not including the front bar) the Imperial frequently was more a haven for hens nights than a gay venue.

There simply aren't 788 of us GLBT members of the community out there wanting to get in, let alone willing to queue outside! That means that if Danesi gets his increased numbers he will be flooding this gay old girl (The Imperial) with straight guys and gals simply to fill the place up .. vale another gay venue!

Let's face it, with a track record of how straight ARQ is these days (does anyone think of it as a GLBT venue at all? .. or just a mixed, leaning to straight venue?) the evidence supports my conclusion not Danesi's spin.

442 is plenty. Time for the greed to stop.
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