The liquidators managing the collapse of The House of St Barnabas (HOSB) have kicked off their hunt for a buyer for its historic Greek Street address six months after the charity-cum-private members club was forced to close.
Adam Stephens and Chris Allen—both of professional services giant Evelyn Partners—have instructed property auctioneers Allsopp to market HOSB’s iconic Grade-I listed Georgian building.
The firm has said on an online listing that it is looking for a new 150-year leasehold interest with a base rent of £250,000 per annum. It said it would take offers from both charities and commercial entities.
The building was built between 1744 and 1777, and its ties to HOSB date back to 1862, when it was first founded as a charity and almshouse to help the homeless.
In 2013, the charity added a non-profit private members club to the building to help fund its charitable activities.
The club became one of London’s trendiest hangouts, and its members included Jarvis Cocker, Peter Capaldi, Annie Mac, and Brian Cox.
Over this period, it maintained its philanthropic work, providing training and support to over 300 people who had experienced homelessness through its Employment Academy.
But despite its venerable list of members, the non-profit was forced to close at the start of the year after the pandemic left its finances in disarray. Last year, it was also forced to fix a broken roof, which eroded what was left of its financial reserves.
Adam Stephens, one of the joint liquidators, said: “One Greek Street has a long history of charitable use, operating most recently as a private members club that helped fund valuable support for homeless people.
“Many people have very fond memories of visiting this iconic Soho club. Following the sad demise of The House of St Barnabas earlier this year, we have been working to appoint agents to market this historic building in Soho Square”.