PLANNING chiefs have approved proposals to upgrade part of a Southampton building with links to the man regarded as America's first stand-up comedian.
The city council has supported an application relating to the Grade II-listed Royal Mail House, a former hotel opposite what used to be Southampton Terminus station.
David Hurlock, of Landene Ltd, has received consent to convert a first-floor room that previously housed a water tank into an office.
The building, part of the Oxford Street Conservation Area, was constructed in the early 1840s and was originally Radley's Hotel.
Guests included Artemus Ward, an American comedian who found fame on both sides of the Atlantic in the mid-19th century. He was staying at the hotel in 1867 when he died aged 32 of tuberculosis.
A plaque commemorating him was placed on the wall of the nearby London Hotel.
Radley's Hotel closed in 1907 and the building was occupied by the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, which was liquidated in 1932 and taken over by Royal Mail Lines Ltd.
Royal Mail House includes a bar/restaurant and two commercial units, one of which is due to be converted into a cafe.
The planning application said: "The building was designed with a simple, elegant style, providing hotel accommodation in the 19th century with evidence of alterations in the early 20th century, when the hotel was converted into offices.
"The proposed change of use will have little to no adverse effect on the surrounding area, largely taking place in the block to the rear of the historic frontage."
A council report said: "Returning an underused, vacant part of the building back into use is acceptable in principle.
"The proposal is relatively minor in scale and will have a negligible effect on the character of the property or local area as only one change is proposed on the external elevation of the building – changing a door leading to a flat roof to a window.
"The window to be installed is an appropriate design taking account of the listed status of the building and conservation area context."
Members of the council's historic environment team supported the internal and external alterations proposed in the application, which was approved in February.
The building is almost opposite the former South Western Hotel, which opened in 1872 and was dubbed the Ritz of the South.
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