Acknowledgement of Country

Right Angle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land and pay our respects to the Elders past and present.

Verona

  • Client

    WT Malouf

  • Year

    2022–ongoing

  • Location

    Sydney

  • Scope

    Place Vision & Retail Strategy, Audience Research, Art Direction, Leasing Collateral Design & Delivery

Bringing an icon of middle-Oxford Street back to life.

Between the high-tempo hubs of Darlinghurst and the refined boutiques of Paddington, there’s a patch of Oxford Street that’s long felt overlooked. This stretch is home to Verona, which opened in 1946 as the site of heavy industry. In the 70+ intervening years, the building has operated as a television studio, retail outlet, artist residency and – since 1999 – The Palace Cinema.

When WT Malouf acquired the property, Right Angle was brought on board to create a Place Vision for the next chapter of this storied Sydney building. In this strategic report, submitted for pre-DA purposes, we unpacked the diverse range of audiences along the length of Oxford Street and the small-scale precincts that exist on its boundaries.

The Place Vision outlined a pivotal building for culture in Sydney, one with mixed creative and cultural uses. Verona’s identity as a meeting place for lovers of cinema will continue in a new, progressive form, while creative workspaces, an improved lanescape, ground floor retail and hopefully a rooftop will add to the magnetism of the building.

To help make this vision a reality, Right Angle’s Creative Department have created an early engagement campaign that tells the rich history of Verona as well as the larger story of Oxford Street’s revitalisation-in-progress. We art directed Paul Barbera to capture the essence of Paddington and Darlinghurst. In response, he created a one-of-a-kind neighbourhood photo study that feels tactile, dreamlike and of Sydney.

With Paul’s stunning imagery to accompany the Oxford Street story, we created a suite of early engagement collateral and a simple website to assist WT Malouf in securing the very best tenants and collaborators.

If you share Right Angle’s our belief for Verona and its future, learn more at veronapaddington.com.au.