Squatters, illegal parties and a rare court case over 'magical' heritage cafe

The historic Paragon Cafe in Katoomba, Australia, a beloved art deco landmark, is now the subject of a rare legal case brought by the NSW government. The 110-year-old building has fallen into a state of disrepair, marred by repeated vandalism, illegal parties, and squatters.

Sisters Madeleine Thompson and Renee Aroney, whose grandfather Zacharias Theodore Simos built the cafe into a "magical place," described their childhood memories of its confectionery production. "There'd be these big cockpit vats … where they'd mix up all the confectionery," Ms. Thompson recalled. "And then they had long marble tables where they lay out this big, gooey, sticky stuff that turned into nougat or fudge."

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There'd be these big cockpit vats … where they'd mix up all the confectionery. And then they had long marble tables where they lay out this big, gooey, sticky stuff that turned into nougat or fudge.

Established in 1916, the Paragon Cafe was celebrated as a success of Greek immigration and entrepreneurship. Its inter-war art deco interiors, featuring a Moruya marble soda fountain and alabaster friezes, drew scores of tourists and locals. Mr. Simos, who emigrated from the Greek island of Kythira at 15, drew inspiration from European and American cafe culture, even mastering chocolatiering in Switzerland.

"He had a vision and he was a 15-year-old boy that left a tiny Greek island called Kythira, which is like a teardrop off the third arthritic finger of the Peloponnese," Ms. Aroney said of her grandfather's journey. The cafe underwent significant renovations in the 1920s, adding a banquet hall and a ballroom, further cementing its status as a vibrant social hub before its closure in 2018.

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He had a vision and he was a 15-year-old boy that left a tiny Greek island called Kythira, which is like a teardrop off the third arthritic finger of the Peloponnese.