Landmark San Remo Ballroom building in Carlton North dances onto market
The iconic San Remo Ballroom has been based at 357-369 Nicholson St, Carlton North since the 1960s.
The iconic Carlton North building which houses San Remo Ballroom is waltzing onto the market for the first time in 35 years.
Many Melburnians have celebrated events at the popular wedding venue located at 357-369 Nicholson St, which opened almost six decades ago and was damaged by fire in 2020 before opening again last year.
CRS Property managing director Ross Mercorillo said the property “comes with a lot of history”, serving as a cycling school in the early 1900s and later a roller skating ring, furniture store, Italian concert space and a 20-year stint as the Adelphi Theatre.
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Mr Mercorillo said the vendors have owned the property since their father operated the ballroom in the 1970s and 1980s.
He said the two families who own the building decided to sell up due to their advancing years.
“We’ve had inquiries from potential developers and also inquiries from passive investors,” Mr Mercorillo said.
The San Remo Ballroom’s dance floor.
The glamorous foyer.
The ballroom opened in 1963, and has a five-year tenancy that began in 2020, and two further five-year leases.
Apart from the ballroom, music store Goldmine Records has been a building tenant since 1992.
A dance school, a natural medicine and wellbeing store and a chiropractic and massage practice are also tenants.
Goldmine Records has been based in the building since 1992.
A natural medicine and wellbeing store rents another retail space.
Mr Mercorillo said the building’s facade was heritage listed by Yarra council.
He described the 1840sq m site as a “landmark” in Carlton North.
The 357-369 Nicholson St address is zoned commercial one with a Yarra Council heritage-listed facade.
Mr Mercorillo said it was not guaranteed the ballroom would remain after its leases ended, depending on a buyer’s plans, with developer interest in building apartments.
“It’s certainly iconic to the community, given it’s heritage status and what it stands for, so whoever builds something there would need to do a quality build and contain its heritage status,” he said.
The iconic ballroom has formerly been a cycling school, roller skating ring, furniture store and the Adelphi Theatre.
Singer Jimmy Barnes and band Dallas Crane during a music shoot at the San Remo Ballroom.
The then-federal opposition leader and future Prime Minister Gough Whitlam dances with Judith Bornstein at a 1969 Labor ball in the San Remo Ballroom.
The building presently returns $388,043 in net earnings every 12 months.
Expressions of interest in the property, for sale for $10m-$12m, close 3pm Friday June 3.
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