National_Jazz_Centre
The National Jazz Centre was a charity[1] set up by the Jazz Centre Society in the 1980s to establish a national center for jazz in London.
The project attracted funding from BP and The Arts Council (Arts Council England);[2] and £1,637,000 from Greater London Council[3] as well as grants from The Pilgrim Trust and jazz enthusiasts. The site of the centre was to be on Floral Street in Covent Garden.[4] Work started in 1982, converting a 19th Century fruit and vegetable warehouse, with anticipation that the new Centre would be complete by December 1983. A succession of set backs was thought to be resolved by 1984 and the re-opening was rescheduled to May 1985. A major royal Gala concert was hosted at the London Palladium, attended by Princess Diana.[5] The opening event was shortly followed by the disclosure that the project had run out of money. The project had problems with financial management, with Westminster City Council launching a legal challenge to the previous GLC grant.[3] This challenge was appealed, but upheld.[6]