50 St James's Street

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50 St James's Street Crockford's - later the Devonshire Club.JPG
50 St James's Street

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 bought by undisclosed Russian investors, with a redevelopment plan headed 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] However, the development plan never materialised.

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]

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References

  1. 1 2 Historic England. "Devonshire Club (1235890)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  2. "Salvatore Calabrese at Fifty". The Caterer. 23 February 2006. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  3. 1 2 "Russians' new club venture that may have tunnel vision". 25 November 2011.
  4. Taylor, Diane (27 January 2017). "Squatters turn oligarch's empty London property into homeless shelter" via The Guardian.

Coordinates: 51°30′27″N0°08′26″W / 51.507387°N 0.140579°W / 51.507387; -0.140579