March 2026

The quite cute but now long gone Duke of Kent pub in Latrobe Street, just up from Elizabeth. It was built in 1929 to a design by W + R Butler & Martin in a restrained classical style with a parapet that could be called Egyptian. It replaced a typical 19thC corner pub, and a room out the back is where the left-wing New Theatre started out in the 30s.

It wasn’t heritage listed way back in 2015 so a permit for 67 storeys of apartments was issued. It was still open in 2017 when I took some pics from the roof garden. First two pics are from the 80s by Graeme Butler, so is the rear one, and he also found the sketch.

It was finally demolished in 2020, and instead of apartments they built a Unilodge, which at least has an ok podium with nice brick details at ground level.

The last pic is the first design with a wild scoop idea, interesting, but detracted from the built of form created by the protected buildings along the lanes behind. But they did do a small rather pointless inset arcade.

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