A "troubled" building that became famous in Liverpool in the 90s could be restored to its former glory.
Previously home to nightclubs Scamps and Bunters, as well as the Ritz cinema, few clubs still evoke as much feeling, or as many good memories, as the 051. In the 1990s, the venue on the corner of Mount Pleasant and Brownlow Hill was known as one of the city’s most famous nightspots with the bold lettering of '0 five one' above the huge site being spotted elsewhere across the city.
For years clubbers would tackle the club's rite-of-passage stairway descent to the basement expanse to dance to some incredible music, the ECHO previously reported. Opened to rival Manchester's nightlife where clubs like the Hacienda were booming, 051 went on to become part of the fabric of the city's nightlife and attract international stars like David Morales and Roger Sanchez.
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With resident Dave Graham emerging as one of the defining tastemakers at the club, it was the arrival of Lee Butler, who’d made his name DJing at The State, which ushered in a new phase at the ‘0 five’ and began solidifying one of the most loyal crowds in the north west. In its glory days the club could hold around 2,000 punters.
In August 1992, many clubbers will remember a last minute decision meant the club made history, when it was given the go-ahead to host the city's first all night dance - despite fierce opposition from the police. On Saturday, August 22, the event went ahead and saw more than 1,200 people try to get into the club. Security at the venue doubled and the event lasted around nine hours.
At the height of its popularity, 051 decided to build its offering around its local resident DJs, spearheaded by the pairing of Graham and Butler. Former 051 DJ and Radio City presenter Lee Butler spent years in the DJ booth of the club, with nearly a decade spent on the decks starting in October 1996.
But in 2005, the venue closed. Since then, the site has been home to a cinema, paintball arena and bar - people have even abseiled off the building for charity, its weathered yellow sign reminding of its former glory.
The venue became other clubs, including Aura from September 2013, but was stripped out by 2016. The empty venue is one of Liverpool's last iconic nightclubs that's still standing, with the likes of Paradox and Nation falling victim to the bulldozer over the years.
In 2020, clubbers reminisced about their days at the famous 051 club following claims the site was to be demolished. At the time, Radio City DJ Lee Butler posted on Twitter claiming he had received an email from the owners saying the 051 would soon fall to the bulldozers.
Floods of comments came in with clubbers talking about their nights out there. Daniell35830961 tweeted: "The excitement waiting in the queue and that feeling when you get in past the bouncers legging it down the stairs."
Did you ever visit 051 nightclub? Let us know in the comments section below.
That same year, we were given a rare glimpse inside 051 nightclub which is "exactly like it was" 15 years after it closed. The amazing footage, recorded by Lee, showed some elements of the famous club still in situ and still easily recognisable.
Viewers could see the DJ box, the upstairs former VIP area and Lee filming from the balcony which once offered a view down over the dancefloor. You could also see old 'Versace' toilets looking pristine with the 'GIANNI VERSACE' lettering still stuck on the tiles.
But in recent years, the ECHO has reported on two significant fires in which tore through the now deserted building. On August 2 last year, the former nightclub was devastated by a fire with people questioning why it hasn't been redeveloped. When the fire broke out, Merseyside Police closed both Mount Pleasant and Brownlow Hill while fire crews from four engines battled the blaze that started in a ground floor stairwell of the building.
A nearby café worker told the ECHO at the time he was the one who called the fire service after someone ran in and alerted him of the blaze. Mo, of 16 Swirls coffee and frozen yogurt shop on Mount Pleasant, said: "Someone came in and shouted 'there's a fire'. I called the fire service and they were here really quickly.
"Crowds of people gathered along the road and watched the fire crews. There are always things going on in the building though. People break in and cause trouble. I remember another fire in there on the ground floor a few months ago."
But the site could be on its way to being returned to its former glory. This week, the ECHO reported how former resident DJ Lee Butler, a winner of the ECHO's DJ of the year, has launched an ambitious plan to renovate the ruined club.
Writing on Twitter, along with a 10-minute video of him walking inside the dilapidated building, Lee said he hopes "the dream becomes reality". Lee said: "Over the past few days I've been sharing pictures and footage of Club 051 and as you can see it's in terrible condition. It's upsetting to see one of Liverpool's last standing real, iconic nightclubs wasting away."
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He added: "So my dream is to get the place in shape for some big nights but also to get it in shape for other events too. Live music, local band nights, comedy nights, tribute nights, sportsman dinners, boxing shows."
On a new website to popularise the refurbishment, Lee wrote: "For years now I have tried so hard to try and get the iconic building back, enquiring about who the owner was and then emailing them constantly asking if it was possible to get Club 051 back. However the answer was 'no' every single time.
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"Since it has been shut I have managed to sneak in a couple of times and have a look around. It was heartbreaking to see the club's decline, not to mention the fires to the other parts of the building. Currently the building is in a dire state and is nearly impossible to bring back.
"However this year we struck a bit of luck and the owner was willing to let us take a look at the building. But after years of neglect we don't even know if it is possible to bring the place back, I can't emphasise enough how destroyed the building is. It's a monumental task."
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