Overview
Thanks to its time as the home of Franco Cozzo's eponymous homewares store, the site at 54–58 Hopkins Street in Footscray already oozes history, with both man and building being absolute icons of 90s-era TV ads. And now it looks set to put another major chapter in the books, with the news that Melbourne-born brewery Moon Dog has submitted a planning application to open its next venue at the famed address.
With Franco Cozzo now set to wrap up his lease on the site, after selling it in 2018, the brewery's founders have found the perfect opportunity to bring to life some long-held dreams of launching a bar in Melbourne's beer-loving west.
If the approval is given the green light, we can expect a sprawling three-level beer bar complete with rooftop garden and space for a huge 900 punters — around 150 more than currently fit inside the team's giant Preston venue Moon Dog World.
Kate Shanasy
Unlike that sibling, however, Moon Dog's proposed Footscray digs don't include any onsite brewing operations, though there will be tanks behind the bar pouring beers about as fresh as they come. Currently up for public viewing, the venue plans also look to include a central fountain, a separate bar for each of the three levels, a hefty kitchen and a massive ground-floor kids play area.
"As a Melbourne brewery, with a team that has grown up with Franco Cozzo on the TV, this site and the opportunity to honour his legacy was too good to be true," the Moon Dog crew said in a statement. "We have every goal of keeping the heritage and history of the building alive," it continued, promising that the site's famed signage and mural would be sticking around.
If the plans are approved, Moon Dog will work towards opening the doors to their new venue by late 2023. Can't wait that long? In the meantime, you can check out the brewery's new al fresco pop-up bar Summer Paradiso, located in the Arts Centre Melbourne forecourt.
Moon Dog World, Kate Shanasy
Moon Dog has submitted a planning application for 54–58 Hopkins Street, Footscray. You can check it out in detail online.
Top Image: Gavin Anderson via Flickr