A former super club that dominated Liverpool's nightlife through the 1990s could be brought back to life by a former resident DJ.
Club 051, at the foot of Brownlow Hill and Mount Pleasant in Liverpool city centre, established itself as one of the biggest clubs and brands by the turn of the millennium. The club, recognisable with its distinctive façade, was closed in 2005 before going through a range of iterations including a cinema, paintball arena and bar.
The building was stripped in 2016 and although its weathered yellow sign remains, it has fallen into disrepair and become a target for anti-social behaviour. The ECHO has reported on two significant fires in the 051 in recent years which tore through the now deserted building.
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But 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 and bring it back to its former glory. 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."
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 designated to the proposed 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.
"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."
Club 051 was built in 1991 to rival Manchester's nightlife where clubs like the Hacienda helped foster the acid house scene - and went on to attract international stars like David Morales and Roger Sanchez. In its glory days the club could hold around 2,000 punters.
Now the main dance floor is littered with empty drinks bottles and debris, but the iconic disco ball still hangs overhead. When the ECHO spoke with local business owners on Mount Pleasant after the last fire in August 2022, concerns were raised about the permanent state of disrepair the building was in.
One local worker said: "There are always things going on in the building though. "People break in and cause trouble." A second person added: "I remember the old 051 back in the day. Knock it down, build student flats there or build something for the people of Liverpool."
Regarding the plans, Lee said: "Club 051 is our club and it's our dream to bring it back to life. It's an impossible dream, but dreams can come true."
You can keep up to date with Lee's restoration journey here.
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