The council also wrote to Sharpe in March, stressing that she use her statutory powers under the act to secure and weatherproof the three-storey premises on Katoomba Street that includes a ballroom, a bakery and other rooms.

Heritage NSW, which is part of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, has “escalated its response to this matter”.

A spokesperson for the department said: “If conditions are not met and significant damage to the interiors is confirmed, Heritage NSW will explore opportunities to take formal action under the Heritage Act (Section 120 Order).”

Section 120 provides for the government to order an owner to do necessary work to maintain the building. No such order has been made to date.

The Simos family owned the Paragon for nearly a century. Solicitor John Landerer bought it 20 years ago for about $2 million. He then leased it as a cafe until it closed in 2018.

The council approved Landerer’s development application for remediation works more than five years ago, and a construction certificate was issued.

When hoardings were erected on the Paragon saying “Under Restoration” last year, the community celebrated. But no work had started, the council said.

Landerer said he hadn’t yet found a builder with sufficient heritage experience for what he estimates will be a $1 million restoration project.

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But he said a range of measures, including new steel security doors, had been implemented to stop the vandals.

He planned to visit the property with representatives from Heritage NSW in the next week or so.

“[The damage] is distressing to me but I’m not responsible for vandals getting into the place,” Landerer said. “And it’s going to cost me more money to rectify what they’ve done.”

Landerer said he had bought the cafe for its sentimental value. Like many people, he, too, had visited the cafe as a boy with his parents for tea or lunch. “It is my memory as well,” he said. “That’s exactly why I bought it.” He hopes to lease the business to another cafe owner.

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Doyle said the Paragon was a much-loved tourist destination. “Like thousands of others, I want to see it returned to its former glory,” she said.

The Paragon was listed by the National Trust in NSW. In 2015 it secured NSW heritage listing.

The Paragon was true to its name, said historian Leonard Janiszewski, who with photographer Effy Alexakis has documented Greek cafes across Australia.

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“It is last of the very finest of Greek-run cafes,” he said.

A report by the National Trust NSW said the Paragon had been so “sumptuously finished, and probably none exists today that can compare with the Paragon”.

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