18.39.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



319 



CLUB CHA3IBERS.-REGENT STREET. 



ARCHITECT— DECIMUS BURTON, Esq. 



Scale of Feet. 

 10 5 10 20 



30 



In consequence of the great scarcity of chambers for residence in ! 

 the immediate vicinity of the Club Houses, several gentlemen, princi- ' 

 pally subscribers to the Clubs, formed themselves into an Association 

 for the purpose of supplying the want. Fortunately, at this time, 

 the mansion occupied by the late Mr. Blicke, in Regent Street, be- 

 tween Pall Mall and Piccadilly, was to be sold ; abetter situation than 

 which for the purpose, in the whole metropolis could not have been 

 selected. The Association immediately entered into an agreement 

 for the purchase of the property, together with the freehold ground 

 in the rear, and upon obtaining possession, they decided upon pulling 

 down the premises, and engaged Mr. Decimus Burton, the eminent 

 architect, to make designs for a new building, which were submitted 

 to the committee and approved ; a contract was then entered into 

 with Mr. Hicks, the builder, for erecting the present miuision for the 

 sum of "2(','J0i,'/. The contractor comn'ienced operations for erecting 

 the new building in August last year, and agreed to have it finished 

 in the present month. 



By reference to the annexed engraving, it will be seen that the 

 elevation of the present edifice is of the Italian style of architecture ; 

 it occupies a frontage next Regent Street of 76 feet, and consists of a 

 ground story, rusticated and terminated by an enriched lace band or 

 string course, enriched with the Vitruvian scroll; this story forms a 

 No. 24.— Vol. II.— September, 1839, 



basement to the upper part, containing the principal story, and a se- 

 cond and third story, surmounted by a bold and enriched cornice, the 

 main characteristic feature of the Italian style. Between the prin- 

 cipal story and the ground floor an entre-sol is introduced, the .win- 

 dows of which are placed between the panelled pilasters, supporting 

 the consoles of the bold projecting balconies to the windows above. 



A plan of the ground floor is given in the amiexed engraving, which 

 is fully explained by the reference; it is approached in the centre by 

 a portico, projecting forward with coupled Doric columns on each 

 side, and recessed back to give depth ; it opens into a grand entrance 

 hall, the height of the ground story and entre-sol. The four upper 

 stories are similarly divided as the ground floor, except as to the 

 room C, and adjoining room, over which there is no story, and with the 

 exception that on all the stories above the entre-sol there will be an 

 apartment over the entrance-hall. 



The building will contain 77 chambers; 27 are provided with al- 

 coves or recesses for the bed, and 50 without; some of the rooms are 

 so planned that two or three may be formed into one suite instead of 

 being engaged separately. The basement story is occupied by the 

 kitchen and domestic oftices of the establishment, likewise rooms for 

 gentlemen's servants. This story is arched over with flat brick 

 arches, supported by iron girders, rendering it perfectly fire-proof, 



2 A 



