A new open plan café with outdoor seating for up to 90 people is now serving Sydney coffee-lovers in a beautifully landscaped corner of Hyde Park, thanks to a collaboration between City of Sydney Council and Transport for NSW.
Council built the new café, paved courtyard, terraced gardens, bathrooms, paths and park entryways after the former kiosk was demolished to make way for accessibility upgrades by Transport for NSW at the neighbouring Museum train station.
“We worked with Transport for NSW to ensure a smooth transition between the new lift lobby, station and café. A new accessible path also connects Museum station to Hyde Park and the Anzac Memorial,” said Lord Mayor, Clover Moore.
She said the new café and landscaped areas were sensitive to the heritage of the site and transitioned visitors from the busy street to a tranquil park setting.
“What’s been achieved is a striking building nestled amongst beautiful, tiered landscaping with numerous nods to the history of the site, including golden sandstone. This café will provide a quiet place for lunch while being just metres from the city,” the Lord Mayor said.
“It was an extremely challenging project to build over an operating train station, and I am proud to see the architects, Andrew Burns, recognised with a prestigious award for design excellence.”
Andrew Burns Architecture, Turf Design Studio and Environmental Partnership designed the project, which was built by Structus and QMC Group.
The café won a 2022 NSW Architecture Award for small project architecture.
This project is part of Hyde Park upgrades totalling more than $20 million carried out over the last eight years.
Located on the corner of Liverpool and Elizabeth streets, the operator has named the cafe ‘Hydeaway’.
