The original building

In 1912, J Lyons & Co, famous Corner House and hotel estate owners, bought the unused property on the outer edge of the Quadrant in Regent Street. Here they built a hotel called the Regent Palace, which opened on 26 May 1915. The extent of the hotel was the triangular block formed by Glasshouse, Brewer and Sherwood Streets and rose nine floors high. There were 1,028 bedrooms with as many employees. In 1915, it was the largest hotel in Europe. Even though it survived until 2006, its communal bathrooms and toilets speeded its demise and it was largely demolished. Nevertheless, some of the most important features were either moved or preserved in situ as Historic England had listed the interior as Grade II. Oliver Percy Bernard OBE MC (18811939) was the re-designer of the basement restaurants that were restyled with stunning 1930s interiors, highly regarded today. These augmented an already opulent marble entrance hall and atmospheric Winter Garden that added luxury normally unavailable to the guests, who would not have afforded the Ritz. Bernard had been the technical director of the British Pavilion of the 1925 Paris exhibition that launched the Art Deco movement, so was best placed to produce stunning contemporary work for the hotel.