The Point Group – responsible for renowned Sydney establishments The Dolphin, Harpoon Harry’s, The Bucket List and Bondi Beach Public Bar – will transform the historic Shell House in Sydney CBD into one of the city’s hottest new dining experiences from July.
Located at 2 Carrington Street, The Point Group has signed a 15-year lease deal for the coveted hospitality centrepiece of Brookfield Properties’ $2 billion Brookfield Place Sydney development project.
Spread over three levels, the group will create an unparalleled CBD hospitality experience within Shell House, combining both indoor and outdoor settings over 1,600 sqm of space. This includes the opening of a ground floor bar and bistro, The Menzies Bar, which will open in July 2021, the indoor/outdoor Shell House Dining Room and Terrace on level 9 and the Shell House Sky Bar on Level 10, due to open in October 2021.
Point Group CEO Brett Robinson said: “We have a once in a generation opportunity to do something extraordinary of a global standard; to build a new iconic hospitality landmark and take a leading role in helping reignite Sydney CBD’s dining culture. We will take the heritage and legacy of the iconic Menzies Hotel and adapt it to modern day expectations”.
Robinson added: “We want to become a new cultural home for the creative, the fun and the social in the CBD. We want to create an oasis in the heart of the city, that tells a new and interesting story as you travel through the three levels of hospitality. We will create a new centre of gravity for good times in the city.
“With all our venues, we strive to become the cultural anchor of the precinct we are located within. The experiences we deliver are inspired by taking bold, confident steps to operate venues that are truly unique and memorable.
“Shell House is a unique example of Inter-War (1915–1940) Commercial Palazzo Architecture, reminiscent of Venetian townhouses, and born out of the Italian Renaissance period. The Renaissance was an important time for European cultural, artistic and economic “rebirth”. This idea, its relevance and the building’s history have been an important reference and great starting point for our project.
“Standing at 65.5 metres high, Shell House’s façade is also one of the tallest retained heritage façades in the world and we are excited to be calling that our new home.”
Mike Russell, Regional Director, Brookfield Properties, said: “From the very day we agreed on the first designs of this city-changing project, we knew that the Shell House rooftop was an opportunity to create something extra special for Sydney. The Point Group brings the right level of quality, experience and excitement we were seeking.”
Rooftop diners will be provided with a bird’s eye view of the building’s hallmark 400-tonne clock tower, which has been fully restored after being suspended mid-air for several years while Shell House was excavated and rebuilt.
Shell House will form the new heart and home of NAB’s CBD premises in Sydney, and now interconnects with the brand new 27-level Premium Grade office tower that is the core of the Brookfield Place Sydney development.
Prior to redevelopment, Shell House was home to the Menzies Hotel, with its 1970s interiors now being transformed into a contemporary office building and hospitality space designed by architects Make and Architectus with the new NAB fit-out by Woods Bagot.
Brookfield Place Sydney sits within the prestigious family of Brookfield Place destinations globally and is set to deliver Sydney an exciting new precinct that attracts people from all parts of the city.