 The London impresario George Edwardes secured a lease of a site owned by Lord Salisbury, bounded by Lisle Street, Ryder's Court and Cranbourne Street, and raised the money – a little under £40,000 – to build a theatre.The architect was Spencer Chadwick, who was assisted by C. J. Phipps.The theatre was one of the first in London to be built using the cantilever system, and the Italian Renaissance and neo-classical facade was more elaborate than that of most London theatres.