Entrepreneurs join forces to revive historic pub

THE beer will soon flow again at the landmark North Hobart pub the Crescent Hotel.

State Cinema owner John Kelly has bought the Burnett St property for $2.35 million.

The pub will be run by the co-owner of nearby Room for a Pony, Mendel Zotz-Wilson, and his new business partners Glen Colman, and Shane and Tash Gill.

The sale settled on Friday, and the new owner and operators had already gathered to get to work on freshening up the building.

They also plan to develop a beer garden and develop the upstairs area into a dining and function space.

After refurbishments have been completed, they hope the pub will be open to the public as early as February.

Mr Zotz-Wilson said the group wanted to restore the pub to its former glory after an extended closure.

“It’s a beautiful old pub and there’s probably none of this traditional style in North Hobart,’’ he said.

“The food will be classic old-school pub food but we’ll use local produce and try to showcase Tasmanian wines and beers as much as possible.”

Mr Zotz-Wilson said there was plenty of excitement as news spread of the pub’s imminent rebirth.

“There seems to be a lot of people with a romantic attachment or fond memories of this pub,’’ he said.

Mr Kelly described his investment in the pub as a “passion project” and said the Crescent was “a beautiful building”.

“I’ve been in and around North Hobart my whole life and I’ve drank here since I was a minor,’’ he said.

“It’s a cornerstone of North Hobart and it’s a place of immense cultural and historical importance.

“It’s a great collaboration between Mendel and his cohorts and they will bring real energy to this area.”

Mr Kelly said the building had been run as a pub for 160 years. Once known as the Lime Kiln Inn, it was renamed the Crescent in the late 1890s.