The facade of the rebuilt Corkman Irish Pub in Carlton, Melbourne, has been completed, nearly ten years after it was illegally demolished by developers.
The reconstruction was ordered by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT). The new exterior is a rendered concrete panel facade designed to replicate the original 1850s building, with custom-made tiles matching archival photographs. The interior remains unfinished, as the VCAT order only required restoration of the exterior.
Developer Raman Shaqiri estimates the total cost of the project at approximately $10 million, on top of the $5 million purchase price in 2015. His former business partner, Stefce Kutlesovski, left the business earlier in 2026; Shaqiri remains involved.
Both Shaqiri and Kutlesovski served 30 days in prison for failing to comply with earlier court orders regarding the site. The project is over a year past the VCAT-mandated completion date.
Background
The original pub, built in the 1850s, was illegally demolished by Shaqiri and Kutlesovski over a weekend in 2016. The site was initially left as rubble, then converted into a temporary park under court order. The reconstruction process was subject to multiple legal challenges and delays.
Statements
"At the end of the day, I did knock it down and it was not the right thing to do. I have put back what everyone wanted, and I hope that in doing that, I have made things right in some way."
— Raman Shaqiri
"It's a disgrace that it has taken almost a decade to get to this point. The job's not done yet."
— Tim Staindl, former law student who filed VCAT objections
Status
- No tenant has been found for the building as of the article's date.
- Critics have derided the replica as a "Temu Corkman" due to its use of precast concrete panels instead of traditional materials.