Beloved Adelaide Venue Set To Be Bulldozed

Enigma Bar spent twenty-four exciting, eclectic years as a mainstay of the local Adelaide music scene. Hearts were broken when it was announced, in 2023, that the iconic Hindley Street venue would be closing its doors for good.

The venue owner, Eric Ott, revealed in November of 2023 that the difficult decision was made “as a result of the increasing challenges posed by rising running costs, including rent, electricity, and insurance.” He continued, “The current climate and the astronomical overheads associated with limited trading days have made [running the venue] unsustainable.”

Enigma Bar hosted its last hurrah on November 17th, 2023.

And now, after having been officially closed for just over a year, it has been officially announced that the site is set to be bulldozed.

It is looking likely that what was once Enigma Bar will be transformed into high-rise accommodation. According to Adelaide Commercial Specialists' founding director, Michael Conley, an international hotel chain, government developers, and private developers are among the “genuine inquiries” for the building.

Conley has reportedly fielded over fifty inquiries regarding the property since it hit the market last week. On the corners of Hindley Street and Morphett Street, the site could be developed into a building a staggering thirteen storeys high.

Speaking to The Advertiser, Conley stated, “We really want to activate this space, reinvent Hindley Street and have it be a place for great business and great living.”

The original venue was eccentric and cherished. As Ott wrote in his farewell statement, “Enigma Bar has been a haven for music lovers in the Adelaide live music scene for so many years, a place where hundreds if not thousands of bands and tens of thousands of patrons have created lasting memories.”

Though Enigma Bar is with us no longer, it was a quarter of a century well spent.