The owner of Australia’s largest privately owned hotel group Dr Jerry Schwartz has released a new timeline for the long-awaited Newcastle Post Office restoration.
According to a new notice put outside the building on Hunter Street this week, the first phase of the work including an Awabakal exhibition, gallery and a cafe will open late next year.
The second phase of the work which includes gallery level shops and another cafe will open in 2024 and from 2025 you’ll be able to book functions in the conference centre that will be built on the top level of the former Post Office.
Dr Schwartz said he wanted to make sure everyone in Newcastle knew the project hadn’t been forgotten, some things are just taking time.
“It seems to be quite a common phenomena asking me how the Post Office is going! Certainly I’d like to reassure everybody that my desires are there, I haven’t lost out or slowed down on the wish to reincarnate this building and add it to Newcastle. Obviously with political delays and paperwork delays and COVID it has delayed everything, but the aim is absolutely to get there.
“I’m still waiting for the construction certificate so hopefully our heritage consultants are reading this report and this’ll speed it up!
“Once we get that I can get a construction certificate, I’ve got to put a proper roof onto the building so the water doesn’t leak through and ruin all the works that we do.
“The first main stage will be the basement area which is separated from the rest of the building,” said Dr Schwartz.
Dr Jerry Schwartz is the Director of Schwartz Family Co. that he took over from his parents.
The company owns 14 hotels and over 4000 rooms across the country including Hotel Ibis King Street Wharf, Rydges Newcastle, Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley, and Novotel Newcastle as well as owning the Hunter Valley Conference & Events Centre (the largest purpose-built meetings and functions venue in NSW outside Sydney) and Blue Sky Airlines, which operates charter services between Sydney, Newcastle and Hunter Valley.
Dr Schwartz has a great love for Newcastle and making it the best city it can be.
“I have a great interest, I think its a great city and its going places and that’s why I’ve got two hotels in Newcastle, one in the Hunter, why i’m involved in the Post Office and my new project is establishing a hospitality school,” he said.