Nearly four months after receiving the 2017 Stirling Prize from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the dRMM Architects–designed Hastings Pier has been listed for sale by British independent commercial property agency GVA.
Last November, Hastings Pier Charity, the charity organization that owned and operated the building, was declared insolvent after failing to raise 800,000 pounds (approximately $1.1 million) to reach self-funding status. Following the announcement, Adam Stephens and Finbarr O’Connell of British financial and professional services firm Smith & Williamson were appointed as the charity’s administrators, and hired GVA to list Hastings Pier for sale.
“We continue to seek organizations and individuals with the specialized knowledge, sensitivities, coherent business plans, and extensive finances necessary to ensure that the pier can continue as a going concern long into the future,” said the administrators in a statement. “Any party which has a viable business plan, and the kind of investment financing that Hastings Pier needs to have a secure long term future, are encouraged to contact the sales agent and put their proposals to them.”
James Robertshaw
Following an international design competition organized by RIBA, London-based dRMM Architects took over Hastings Pier’s redesign and reconstruction after a fire destroyed the Grade II–listed building in 2010.
“Hastings Pier has undergone a remarkable transformation, and now represents a modern, flexible, public leisure destination and venue, which retains a blend of both Victorian and modern architecture, refinement and charm,” said GVA’s director of hotels and leisure Richard Baldwin in a press release. “The pier is unique, and offers a custodian the opportunity to acquire a piece of Britain’s seaside heritage, with great potential as a leisure destination.”
The Hastings Pier reopened to the public in May 2016 and will remain operational through the end of 2018.
This story has been updated.
