The freehold investment of the soon-to-be-vacant Parkview Hotel in Alexandria is headed for the auction block, marking yet another new chapter for the infamous inner-city pub.
Located around four kilometres south of the CBD, opposite Erskineville Oval, the two-level hotel was once one of Sydney’s toughest establishments, patronised by hard-drinking working class men and members of Sydney’s notorious razor gangs.
It began when Redfern Council alderman James Roche leveraged his influence to secure a hotel licence for the site in 1898, despite years of protestations by locals.
Over the following 12 years of his tenure Roche was a regular before the courts. Just a year after opening he was convicted of trading outside of hours. In 1902 he faced the magistrate over charges of selling under-proof rum and whiskey to customers, which proved a penchant as he was accused of this again in 1910, before retiring as publican of the Parkview.
He was followed by 21-year-old James Egan, who was charged and convicted of attempting to murder his wife, Ruth, after firing shots at her and her lover, in 1912.
More than a century later, the pub and precinct have become central to multi-billion-dollar developments such as the prominent ‘Ashmore Precinct’, converting 17-Ha of former industrial land into residential, retail, and commercial spaces.
The Hotel features a ground-floor public bar with outdoor beer garden, an under-performing gaming room with 15 aged machines, and an elegantly appointed restaurant and function space on the upper level.
The property has been the sole hotel asset of a private investor for more than 20 years, in recent years operated by Trevor and Simone Walker, whose lease expires April 2026.
The near-term vacancy is likely to appeal to both established Sydney groups or operators looking to begin a presence in the city.
A sale campaign through JLL Hotels’ Kate MacDonald, Ben McDonald and Greg Jeloudev anticipates interest from a mix of hotel operators and investors recognising its unrealised potential.
“This rare short-term lease arrangement at the Parkview Hotel provides investors with flexible strategies, offering operational takeover from April 2026 being the most compelling opportunity,” offers MacDonald.
The freehold title of the Parkview is scheduled for public auction on Tuesday, 23 September at Cooley Auction House, Double Bay.
