The Imperial Hotel in Erskineville has been officially added to the NSW State Heritage Register, recognising its cultural significance as a landmark for the LGBTQI+ community.
The listing follows a recent move by the City of Sydney to nominate other iconic Oxford Street venues – including the Oxford Hotel, Palms, and Universal (formerly the Midnight Shift) – for heritage status in recognition of their role in the city’s queer history.
The Imperial is perhaps best known in Australia and around the world for its appearance in the 1994 film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
“It’s an iconic Sydney venue that tells a very important story,” said Sydney MP Tanya Plibersek.
Plibersek, whose federal electorate includes Erskineville, said the area had a proud history and welcomed its official recognition on the state register.
“I want to thank the NSW Government for giving this pub and its history the acknowledgement that it deserves,” she said.
The Imperial became a queer icon after being purchased in 1983 by Dawn O’Donnell – a prominent member of the LGBTQIA+ community – who helped transform the venue from a traditional working men’s pub into the inclusive community hub it is today.
O’Donnell was renowned for running gay and lesbian venues at a time when homosexuality was still illegal in NSW.
Today, the Imperial is the longest-running LGBTQIA+ friendly venue outside of Oxford Street and has played a key role in the development of the Newtown–Erskineville queer precinct.
“The state register gives special recognition to buildings but also to places, and what it does is it tells the story that are important to various communities,” said Heritage Minister Penny Sharpe, a proud lesbian.
Sharpe said she remembers visiting the Imperial as a young queer woman and was proud to now be in a position to preserve its legacy.
“Places are important and for the LGBTQIA+ community places like this have always been important and they remain so. They remain safe spaces, they’re places where we’ve had celebrations, they’re places where we have danced,” she said.
“This pub in particular, with its long history of drag performers and drag artists coming here … is also another reason why having it on the State Heritage List is so important.”
The Imperial is currently owned and operated by Universal Hotels, which also owns the Oxford Hotel and Universal on Oxford Street, and The Riley Hotel, among others.
Imperial Hotel entertainment manager and RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under star Etcetera Etcetera said it was an honour to carry on the venue’s legacy.
“It is the joy of my life and my career to be able to spotlight incredible drag artists … [who] call the Imperial home,” she said.
The heritage listing comes as the Imperial prepares for a major facelift, with recently approved development proposals paving the way for a $1 million revamp.
The centrepiece of the upgrade will be a new atrium, replacing the terrace houses that currently neighbour the venue on Erskineville Road. The proposed space will operate from 10am to 10pm and hold up to 200 people.
The Imperial is not the only LGBTQIA+ landmark to be recognised under the state Labor government.
Last month, sixteen sites were honoured with a Blue Plaque by Premier Chris Minns, including several of queer significance. The program celebrates the people and events that have shaped NSW’s history.
Among those recognised were Malcolm Cole, who led the first Aboriginal Mardi Gras float; Bobby Goldsmith, whose battle with HIV inspired the founding of Australia’s longest-running HIV/AIDS charity; and beloved performer Peter Allen.
Gay Sydney News reporter