The Adam Brothers' Adelphi (1768-72) was London's first neo-classical building. Eleven large houses fronted a vaulted terrace, with wharves beneath.
Adelphi (Greek: adelphoi, "brothers") is a district of London, England in the City of Westminster.1 The small district includes the streets of Adelphi Terrace, Robert Street and John Adam Street.1
The district is named for the Adelphi Buildings, a block of 24 unified neoclassicalterrace houses occupying the land between The Strand and the River Thames. They were built between 1768–72, by the Adam brothers (John, Robert, James and William Adam). The ruins of Durham House on the site were demolished for their construction. The nearby Adelphi Theatre is named after the Adelphi Buildings. Robert Adam was influenced by his extensive visit to Diocletian's Palace in Dalmatia, and applied some of this influence to the design of the neoclassical Adelphi Buildings.23 The Adelphi Buildings were demolished and replaced with The Adelphi Building, and Art Deco building in the 1930s.
Notable residents
David Garrick lived for his final seven years, and died in 1779, in the centre house of the buildings.4