<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The City of Sydney Council is at the helm of plans to make three popular Oxford Street institutions heritage-listed to recognise and preserve their LGBTQIA+ ties and history.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The council is proposing to put the Oxford Hotel, Palms and the Universal nightclub on a heritage list following a study to identify important places for queer communities.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the venues were an "iconic part of the social and physical fabric" of Oxford Street.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/man-shot-while-riding-bicycle-cranebrook-sydney/5b51ae31-e997-4a27-baa4-277faef37d1b" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Man shot while riding bicycle in Sydney overnight</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We know how important it is to our LGBTIQA+ communities to protect, preserve and recognise the rich cultural history along Oxford Street," she said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Each of these venues has been strongly associated with the community since the late 1970s and early 1980s.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It's wonderful to be able to recognise and share the important role they have played in the lives of our diverse LGBTIQA+ communities for more than 40 years."</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/sydney-oxford-hotel-palms-and-universal-nightclub-up-for-heritage-listing/779744f9-c6e8-4089-80f6-dbdc1ff3e8f1" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/deadly-deathcap-mushroom-warning-issued-as-autumn-kicks-in/7b25d25f-56d7-4a9d-919f-90e3546af3f2" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Aussies warned against fatal deathcap mushroom risk</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The council unanimously endorsed the proposal at its final meeting last year on December 16, and it will now be with the NSW government for review.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>If successfully reviewed, the proposal will be open for public feedback.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The council is also investigating the possibility of also heritage listing Trade Club Sydney, considered the city's first lesbian bar, on 273 Crown Street in Surry Hills, the former Taxi Club site on 40-42 Flinders Street in Darlinghurst and The Bookshop, a book store for LGBTQIA+ communities, on 207 Oxford Street in Darlinghurst.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Darlinghurst Police Station, Stonewall Hotel and the Mardi Gras parade route are some of the sites already recognised for their significance.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/nsw-ladies-well-upper-allyn-swimming-hole-man-dies/de7fe755-f532-456e-bcee-aa9ed293d956" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Man drowns at popular swimming hole in NSW</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>Oxford Hotel, 134 Oxford Street</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The venue has been associated with the city's liquor trade since the 1850s and traded as the Johnston's family, Ryan's and Midland Hotel before becoming what we know as Oxford Hotel in 1905.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The bar housed the rock scene during the 1970s before officially opening as a gay venue in July 1982 when it was described as the "latest gay pub on the Strip".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Today, it is one of the oldest continually operating queer venue.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/peruvian-fisherman-found-alive-after-95-days-lost-at-sea/117d26ee-567e-4667-ad6d-5cf580bff0f1" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Peruvian fisherman found alive after 95 days lost at sea</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>Palms, 124 Oxford Street</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The site has been occupied by commercial buildings since 1855, including the Catholic Women's Association.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Palms opened in about 1977 and was an underground cabaret venue, which quickly became known as a safe space and supportive environment for the queer community.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It then began trading as Scooters Bar and Diner during the late 1980s before reopening as Palms in 2000. It operates today as a gay night club.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/abc-working-to-resolve-issue-after-radio-national-goes-silent/bfb33ea7-4a7d-44f8-b6fc-81ab24b56c8f" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>ABC apologises for radio silence as services are restored</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>Universal, 85-91 Oxford Street </span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The two-storey building traded as restaurant and gay disco Tropicana in 1978.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It reopened as Club 85, a "man's disco", two years later but was damaged by a fire within months.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Once again, the building reopened in November 1980 as Midnight Shift and continued until October 2017, when it closed due to the lockout laws.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The venue was bought by Universal Hotels in July 2018, and the nightclub reopened just a few months later and has been going strong since.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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