50 St James's Street is a Grade II listed house in St James's Street, St James's, London SW1,[1] opposite White's Club.
It was built in 1827, and designed by the architects Benjamin Wyatt and Philip Wyatt, as Crockford's, a gentleman's club. It was altered from 1870–75 by C. J. Phipps.[1]
From 1999 to 2009, a luxury casino named Fifty, owned by Robert Earl, operated on the premises.[2][3]
Next, the property was secured by Luca Del Bono, an Anglo-Italian property developer. To this end, in 2011, Westminster City Council approved plans to create a members' club, spa, 14-bedroom hotel, and two public restaurants.[3]
In 2014, the property was bought by the Russian billionaire Andrey Goncharenko for £70 million, apparently with the intention of converting it to residential use. The building sat empty, until it was occupied by squatters in 2017.[4]
References edit
- ^ a b Historic England. "Devonshire Club (1235890)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ^ "Salvatore Calabrese at Fifty". The Caterer. 23 February 2006. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
- ^ a b "Russians' new club venture that may have tunnel vision". 25 November 2011.
- ^ Taylor, Diane (27 January 2017). "Squatters turn oligarch's empty London property into homeless shelter" – via The Guardian.