Shops, gym, pool and restaurants at art deco store as renaissance grows

THE revival of Oxford Street is being boosted by a "once-in-a-100-year" transformation of the empty House of Fraser flagship into a huge office, shops, restaurant, gym and swimming pool complex.

- Jonathan Prynn

The £132 million project at 318 Oxford Street is on course for completion next year despite the massive engineering challenges presented by the modernisation of the crumbling 1930s German art deco building.

On reopening it will be known as the Elephant and the owners hope it will help draw workers and shoppers back into the West End.

The store was originally constructed for DH Evans in 1937 with a 140ft frontage on Oxford Street and eight and a half acres of selling space.