a similar but not identical form and it was leased as a place of assembly by one Crispus Claggett, who intended to provide masquerades and concerts. The principal room of this reincarnation was not a rotunda but consisted of "an Area or Pit, … and a double tier of elegant and spacious Boxes, in the centre of which is a most splendid one for the Royal Family". The Pantheon reopened with a masquerade on 9 April 1795. The revived assembly rooms were a failure, and in 1796 or 1797 Claggett disappeared and was never heard of again. From 1798 to 1810 the shareholders reverted to the original custom of managing the Pantheon themselves but the popularity of the entertainments continued to decline. In 1811–12 Nicholas Wilcox Cundy converted the building into a theatre, but restrictions imposed by the Lord Chamberlain (then the regulator and censor of theatres) ruined this venture and the career of the Pantheon as a place of public entertainment came to a close in 1814. In 1833–34, the Pantheon was rebuilt as a bazaar by the architect Sydney Smirke. The whole of the roof and part of the walls of the old building were taken down, but the entrance fronts to both Oxford Street and Poland Street were retained, as were also the rooms immediately behind the former. The main space of the new building was a great hall of basilican plan, with a barrel-vaulted nave of five wide bays. In 1867, the building was acquired by W. and A. Gilbey, wine merchants, and was used by them as offices and show rooms until 1937. It was demolished shortly afterwards to make way for a branch of Marks and Spencer, the Georgian Group unsuccessfully attempting to preserve the façade elsewhere. The Marks and Spencer building opened in 1938, and is still there. This was designed by Robert Lutyens (son of Sir Edwin Lutyens). It has a gleaming art deco polished black granite façade and has become a distinctive landmark on Oxford Street. Its special historic and architectural interest was recognised on 21 September 2009 when the Minister of Culture, Barbara Follett, awarded the building Grade II listed status. See also List of demolished buildings and structures in London References External links Survey of London — detailed architectural history Assembly rooms Dance venues in England Demolished buildings and structures in London Former buildings and structures in the City