Neon signs of one of Sydney’s last ‘sin alleys’ face final days

In the 1930s, famous Sydney poet Kenneth Slessor described what he perceived to be the unrecognised beauty of down-at-heel William St in Darlinghurst.

“The red globe of light, the liquor green, the pulsing arrows and the running fire spilt on the stones, go deeper than a stream; You find this ugly, I find it lovely,” Slessor wrote.

Slessor was writing about the kaleidoscope of colours on William St –  the neon advertising signs, slow-moving red tail-lights of cars and the green traffic lights. Everyone else thought they were gaudy. Slessor loved them.

In the rest of the poem, he lauds the shopfronts, the prostitutes and the alcoholics who inhabit this shunned but pulsating urban environment.

The William St that Slessor wrote about is now gone. 

The prostitutes and alcoholics no longer line its pavements and, with the exception of the large Coca-Cola sign, the neon signs are largely gone – replaced by a more civilised and safer, but arguably more boring, precinct.

Today, another little enclave of neon signs and sin is about to also be obliterated. 

It’s the row of seven two-storey terrace shops at 374-382A Pitt St, in the Sydney CBD.

For years, this little strip of shops – opposite the World Square complex – has been home to eclectic and curious, if not shady, businesses.

From 1964 to 2019, the strip was home to Lawson’s record store, which had been an institution for music aficionados and a key part in the resurgence in vinyl records from the 2000s onwards.

The strip has also previously been home to adult goods, Asian grocery and hardware stores – in other words niche offerings not usually found in the centre of town. 

At present, the strip contains Asian-themed restaurants and at least six massage parlours, which hide their upper floor secrets behind dimly-lit and narrow stair-cases. 

Just like the former signs of William St, the strip contains a row of colourful signs, including mysterious neon images of an apple, flamingo and love heart, which beckon street life into those dark stair-cases. 

It’s been a forgotten corner of the CBD, which has escaped gentrification into worthy but dull office foyers, cafes and apartments. 

To some extent, it’s one of Sydney’s last ‘sin alleys’, following the transformation of Kings Cross into a high-class residential and restaurant enclave. 

However, the strip’s days are numbered, with plans now before the City of Sydney Council to retain and use the terraces as the base of a 60-storey hotel. 

Existing businesses will be evicted, and replaced with (if the artist’s impressions are to be believed) a brightly-lit and modern foyer, bar and associated retail premises. The hotel DA is currently on exhibition until 22 July.

Progress is inevitable. Hotels bring in tremendous profits and create jobs. There is no way that planning laws can save the existing character of strips like 374-382A Pitt St.

However, what will future poets write about, if our city becomes nothing more than the sterile foyers of hotels and office blocks?