First, London authorities considered actors--and theatre-goers--as unsavory, so few (if any) theatres were built within the city limits of London. Instead, theatres were built outside the city limits to avoid prosecution by the law. The site for The Globe was chosen after the original proposed site was legally contested. The owners of The Globe, including William Shakespeare and members of the Burbage family, planned to use an existing structure, The Theatre, which was located in Shoreditch. However, the landlord of the property claimed that once the lease on the land expired, the building would revert to him. So, on Christmas 1598 (without the knowledge of the landlord), The Theatre was disassembled and the timber was stored to build The Globe at a later date. The Globe was eventually built near Maiden Lane in Southwark and completed sometime in 1599.