Hotel Esplanade
140 years of Melbourne history, closed, forgotten, then handed to us. We rebuilt The Espy's identity from the ground up and reopened one of Australia's most important cultural venues.
Hotel Esplanade
140 years of Melbourne history, closed, forgotten, then handed to us. We rebuilt The Espy's identity from the ground up and reopened one of Australia's most important cultural venues.
A 140-year-old Melbourne landmark that had been closed, gutted, and written off. The brief wasn't a rebrand. It was a resurrection.
The Espy had been part of Melbourne's identity for over a century. Live music, ocean views, the kind of place that meant something to everyone who'd ever spent a night in St Kilda. When it closed in 2015 and fell into disrepair, the city lost more than a venue. It lost a piece of itself. Sand Hill Road acquired the building with the ambition of restoring what made it matter, while building something that could earn a new generation's loyalty.
We built the new identity around Alfred Felton, a chemist, collector, and eccentric who once lived in the building. His obsession with the eclectic and the avant-garde became the creative thread that connected twelve bars, two restaurants, and three stages into a single coherent world. Every brand decision, from the visual identity to the tone of voice to the venue naming across the complex, was designed to feel like The Espy had woken up rather than started over. Nostalgia and ambition, held in the same hand.
The reopening earned national press coverage and repositioned The Espy as one of Australia's most significant hospitality destinations. A venue that proves the most powerful brand stories aren't invented. They're recovered.
A 140-year-old Melbourne landmark that had been closed, gutted, and written off. The brief wasn't a rebrand. It was a resurrection.
The Espy had been part of Melbourne's identity for over a century. Live music, ocean views, the kind of place that meant something to everyone who'd ever spent a night in St Kilda. When it closed in 2015 and fell into disrepair, the city lost more than a venue. It lost a piece of itself. Sand Hill Road acquired the building with the ambition of restoring what made it matter, while building something that could earn a new generation's loyalty.
We built the new identity around Alfred Felton, a chemist, collector, and eccentric who once lived in the building. His obsession with the eclectic and the avant-garde became the creative thread that connected twelve bars, two restaurants, and three stages into a single coherent world. Every brand decision, from the visual identity to the tone of voice to the venue naming across the complex, was designed to feel like The Espy had woken up rather than started over. Nostalgia and ambition, held in the same hand.
The reopening earned national press coverage and repositioned The Espy as one of Australia's most significant hospitality destinations. A venue that proves the most powerful brand stories aren't invented. They're recovered.
