Developer lifts veil on plans for Pink Palace brothel

The developers who bought longstanding brothel the Pink Palace have revealed plans to transform it from selling sex to a sexy sell.

And a gallery of photos showing what the inside of a brothel looks like, without the people, might be part of its near future.

The Pink Palace closed its doors last week after the Crema Group and partner Geomax Capital bought the building housing the more than 30-year-old brothel last year and received planning approval earlier this year.

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While the project for 8 Palmerston Cres, South Melbourne, is yet to be fully detailed, Crema director Nicolas Crema has revealed their plans include a mix of hospitality and office space, 30-35 residences and a rooftop pool bar.

But they won’t try to hide from the site’s past, Crema says.

“We aren’t shying away from what this place used to be,” he says.

“We will strip the building in about two weeks time, but we have had a photographer go in and shoot it.

“A lot of people have never seen the inside of a brothel, and it is quite a different space. Once we have built our new display suite, one of the exhibitions may be a display showing what it (the building) used to be.”

The redevelopment will be part of a broader lift for the area, which includes the construction of Anzac Station nearby.

The former Pink Palace brothel sits in a prime inner-city locale.

“We are really excited about this project and we have really thought about this being a destination building that has multiple uses and is designed to really enhance the use for the end user,” Crema says.

The properties versatile position close to the CBD would be attractive to many potential buyers, he added.

“We always felt this area is such a central location that it would appeal to a wide demographic,” he says.

“A lot of people don’t know the specific street, but it’s only two minutes from the Shrine of Remembrance.”

The development could see a soft launch around November, with construction expected to commence close to the middle of 2019.

Crema says there has been a generally positive response to their plans to develop the particular site.

“There are some negative connotations with its previous use, and we have had great support from the council planning processes,” he says.

“This will be one step further towards reinvigorating this whole precinct.”

The development is being designed by architects Elenberg Fraser who’s past works have included designing a triangle-shaped apartment development in St Kilda based on the gold bikini worn by Princess Leia in Star Wars.

MIM Design is handling the interiors.

This article from the Herald Sun originally appeared as “Pink Palace development plans include photo gallery of inside a brothel”.