BERLIN: An historic building erected by the German community in London 150 years ago will be transformed into a restaurant complex with a grand café and bars next to the Eurostar terminal at St. Pancras International.
The German Gymnasium was constructed in 1865 for the German Gymnastics Society, a sporting association established by Georg Ravenstein, a Frankfurt-born cartographer and fitness fanatic. It hosted the first indoor events of the 1866 Olympic Games.
The site now belongs to D&D London, whose restaurants include Coq d’Argent and Le Pont de la Tour. D&D will create a European brasserie in the high-ceilinged main hall and a restaurant overlooking the brasserie. There will be an outdoor terrace, bars, and private dining. It is scheduled to open in November.
“It the first really big restaurant project we’ve done in a decade,” says Des Gunewardena, chairman and chief executive of D&D. “I’m very confident in the outlook for London. The building cost is high, so we’re going to have to work very hard to pay that back. But it is classically what we do: taking interesting buildings and bringing them back to life.
“Although we’re in Paris, New York, Tokyo, at heart we are still a London business. We know London. It’s a city that will always have its ups and downs but it is one of the great cities of the world and it’s a good place to invest. It’s our home.”
D&D acquired the site in January 2014. The interior of the building—between King’s Cross and St Pancras stations—has been designed by Conran & Partners, retaining original details such as climbing-rope hooks to invoke the building’s history.
