Sydney plastic surgeon and hotel magnate Dr Jerry Schwartz has purchased the historic Newcastle Post Office for $3.5 million.
His vision, among 11 expressions of interest, for the dilapidated site is to restore its grand exterior and fill the space with an Aboriginal cultural centre in the basement, a wedding retail floor and third-storey function room.
The iconic building has been in the hands of the Awabakal Land Council since 2014, and members last night unanimously voted to allow the sale to proceed.
Dr Schwartz says he's hoping to get the ball rolling on construction.
"I've already contacted the asbestos consultants to come along and quote on removing all of the asbestos," he said, "first of all I've really got to gut the building...
"I'm hoping to do it in two stages, the first being the Aboriginal area so I can get that up and running before the rest of the building is finished."
He believes the Aboriginal Cultural Centre in the basement is an essential component of the project.
"I want the building to remain a public sort of space," Dr Schwartz explained, "this building has alot of Aboriginal history in it...so it was both their desire and mine to showcase the site's Awabakal background."
As Dr Schwartz already owns two hotels in Newcastle, he's viewing this project as a gift to the city but also hopes it will be high-end and successful, raking in enough profits to make back the investment costs.
