Award-winning Raku Dining purchase Canberra icon

CANBERRA, 25 May 2022 – A free standing building originally built to service the local federal government departments in the 1960s has sold to Raku Dining with plans to become a high-end, heavily Asian-influenced dining experience.

JLL’s Capital Markets – ACT, Senior Executive, Mitch Frail sold The Pavilion at 44 Constitution Avenue, Parkes via an Expressions-Of-Interest campaign on behalf of Amalgamated Property Group.

The Pavilion at 44 Constitution Avenue is a free-standing building with a floor area of approximately 534 sqm as well as 498 sqm of subsidiary land on title and ten secure car parks. A piece of Canberra’s history, The Pavilion was originally built in 1969, and has since been heritage-listed due to its unique architectural features and significance to the Canberra landscape.

Mr Frail said, “The Pavilion is architecturally significant, and heritage-listed due to a high level of integrity in its built form and place in Canberra’s history. A building like this offers a variety of opportunities, and as such, we received significant enquiry from a variety of operators interested in the historic asset. The campaign generated more than 85 enquiries and five bids.”

Nic Clarke, Soho Hospitality Group General Manager said, “We were drawn to the unique, freestanding building, in what we believe will be a fantastic location for a destination restaurant. Moving forward, we have engaged a design team to keep the heritage feel of the structure yet add harmony inside with an Asian themed pavilion.

“The vision for the restaurant will be a high-end, heavily Asian-influenced dining experience. The restaurant will feature several private dining rooms, plus several private booths, for intimate dining. We are planning for the venue to be complete by mid-2023,” said Mr Clarke.

Mr Frail said, “The acquisition of “The Pavilion” by owners of Raku will bring to life an iconic Canberra building as a character-filled vibrant hospitality venue. The building’s distinctive and light filled design inspires a sense of nostalgia and has excellent frontage to Parkes Way, one of Canberra’s main arterial roads. The asset is central to a large amount of new development including The Griffin, Anzac Park East, as well as the existing Campbell 5 precinct.”

The Pavilion is situated alongside ‘The Griffin’, a mixed-use development precinct. As the newest residential offering in Parkes, The Griffin is set to deliver 1,2- and 3-bedroom accommodation across three buildings, with completion expected in mid-2022.