The grand scale was intended to attract middle- and upper-class residents, both permanent and seasonal, and it was immediately successful: early tenants included the Rice family, a brewing dynasty from London. In 1802, Otto attempted to impress the Prince of Wales—probably with a view to obtaining an invitation to dine with him at the Royal Pavilion, which was the pinnacle of social achievement in Brighton—by erecting a statue of him at Royal Crescent. He commissioned a sculptor called Rossi to do the work; he used Coade stone, ceramic stoneware manufactured by Eleanor Coade in London. The statue was reportedly unable to withstand the weathering effects of sea-spray and strong wind: by 1807, the fingers on the sculpture's left hand had been destroyed, and soon afterwards the whole right arm dropped off. The statue began to be mistaken for Lord Nelson, and the Prince was reportedly so displeased that he forbade Otto's name to be mentioned in his presence. The dilapidated statue— tall on a plinth—was removed in 1819. The gardens in front of the crescent, in which the statue stood, passed into the ownership of the Brighton Corporation after the 1884 Brighton Improvement Act was passed. Royal Crescent was listed at Grade II* on 13 October 1952. Such buildings are defined as being "particularly important ... [and] of more than special interest". As of February 2001, it was one of 70 Grade II*-listed buildings and structures, and 1,218 listed buildings of all grades, in the city of Brighton and Hove. Notable residents of Royal Crescent have included actor Sir John Clements—who lived at number 7—and Sir Laurence Olivier, who lived at number 4 with his third wife Joan Plowright and also owned number 5. Royal Crescent forms a shallow crescent-shaped of 14 terraced houses on a generally east–west layout behind Marine Parade. Numbers 1 and 14, the houses at each end, stand parallel to that road. Each four-storey house has common stylistic themes. There is a first-floor veranda on every house except number 1, the westernmost house, which has a balcony instead. Each veranda has curved metal roofs (with either "cyma recta" or "cyma reversa" mouldings), cast iron railings and bracketed supports. The whole terrace has a timber-framed façade with brick nogging (infilling) and covered with black glazed mathematical tiles. These were laid in an interlocking pattern to mimic brick, and were frequently used in Brighton in the late 18th century.