This historic theatre sits in the heart of a booming city. It's been closed for more than a decade
Those of a different generation think of lining up to get into a nightclub, booming music and watching footy games on the 'biggest screen in Parramatta'.
Whether it was known as a cinema or for Friday drinks, the Roxy holds an important space in the memories of many who grew up in Sydney. But for Parramatta's youngest residents, the heritage-listed theatre is known as one thing: the empty building on George Street with locks on its doors.
For more than a decade, the now-95-year-old theatre has remained shuttered and in a state of disrepair, in stark contrast to the buzz of action taking place around it. Running alongside the venue by 2032 will be the Civic Link, a $21 million pedestrianised boulevard that will connect Parramatta Square and the river.
To its right sits the future Parramatta metro station, a 'once-in-a-generation' project that recently received concept approval for four high-rise buildings on top of the station itself. It's also due to open by 2032.
But instead of the transport project being an opportunity to revitalise the Roxy Theatre, the building's owner believes Sydney Metro is the reason the theatre has been stuck in limbo.
In May, K Capital Group's David Kingston, who owns the theatre, began legal action against Sydney Metro, accusing it of blocking access to the Roxy site, preventing restoration. 'Without access, Metro has sterilised the Roxy and prevented its renovation and reopening,' Kingston told The Daily Telegraph.
The statement of claim, lodged in the NSW Supreme Court, comes after Kingston submitted a development application to City of Parramatta Council in 2024 to transform the theatre into a nightlife, restaurant and bar precinct. It was refused in February this year, partly because Sydney Metro denied access to the land surrounding the Roxy, which was compulsorily acquired in 2019. Kingston declined to comment on the legal proceedings.
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