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Park Row is a street in
Twenty-three houses were built on the east side of Park Row between 1767 and 1776.
In 1821, on a site on the west side
Leeds Philosophical & Literary Society
opened its purpose-built Philosophical Hall with a lecture hall, library and museum. The building and parts of the collection were damaged by German bombs in the Second World War. The Museum closed in 1965 and the site was redeveloped as the Midland Bank - later HSBC. After some years in temporary accommodation, in 2008 the museum collection was re-housed in the former Mechanics' Institute, now
Although during the day it is mainly concerned with the financial industry, at night it is at the centre of Leeds' nightlife culture. There is a high concentration of high-end restaurants along Park Row, as well as a number of cafes.
Park Row is a street in Leeds city centre
Leeds city centre is the central business district of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is roughly bounded by the Leeds Inner Ring Road, Inner Ring Road to the north and the River Aire to the south and can be divided into several quarters.
C ...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
, England. It divides the main financial districts from the main retail districts and forms a spine between City Square
A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...
and The Headrow
The Headrow is an avenue in Leeds city centre, West Yorkshire, England.
It is one of the most important thoroughfares in central Leeds, hosting many of the city's civic and cultural buildings including Leeds Town Hall, Leeds Central Librar ...
, two of Leeds' most sought-after addresses. The street forms the western flank of the Public Transport Box, and as such is mostly reserved for buses, taxis and cyclists, especially since reconfiguration 202-2021 as part of city-centre-wide traffic infrastructure changes.
Between the 1860s and the turn of the millennium, it was a prime business street, with the main banks, some insurance companies and several other major financial and business services employers such as Pinsent Masons
Pinsent Masons LLP is an international law firm which specialises in the energy, infrastructure, financial services, real estate and advanced manufacturing and technology sectors. The firm ranks among the top hundred law firms in the world by tur ...
and Deloitte
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (), commonly referred to as Deloitte, is an international professional services network headquartered in London, England. Deloitte is the largest professional services network by revenue and number of profession ...
. Since then, it has become much more mixed, with a return of some residential occupiers and a range of bars and restaurants taking over banking halls and other ground floors.
The architecture of the street is representative of changing property demand and architectural fashions. Styles range from the earliest purpose-built banks and offices of the 1860s through to late 20th century replacements.
It is named Park Row because it was created as the eastern boundary of the long gone Manorial Park, used by the Lord for hunting.
History
Twenty-three houses were built on the east side of Park Row between 1767 and 1776.
In 1821, on a site on the west sideLeeds Philosophical & Literary Society
opened its purpose-built Philosophical Hall with a lecture hall, library and museum. The building and parts of the collection were damaged by German bombs in the Second World War. The Museum closed in 1965 and the site was redeveloped as the Midland Bank - later HSBC. After some years in temporary accommodation, in 2008 the museum collection was re-housed in the former Mechanics' Institute, now
Leeds City Museum
Leeds City Museum, originally established in 1819, reopened in 2008 in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is housed in the former Mechanics' Institute built by Cuthbert Brodrick, in Cookridge Street (now Millennium Square). It is one of nine s ...
in Millennium Square Millennium Square may refer to:
* Millennium Square, Bristol
* Millennium Square, Leeds
*Millennium Square, Sheffield
Millennium Square is a modern city square in Sheffield, England. It was created as part of the Heart of the City project that b ...
.
From the 1830s onwards, early service sector businesses started to use space in some of the Georgian
Georgian may refer to:
Common meanings
* Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country)
** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group
** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians
**Georgian scripts, three scrip ...
houses. By the middle of the nineteenth century, some houses were redeveloped as purpose-built offices, providing accommodation more suited to growing enterprises and giving a chance to express company identity in the architecture. Some of these buildings were redeveloped during the twentieth century. A few have been redeveloped again since then, or have been converted to uses other than offices.
Britain's first permanent traffic lights were installed on Park Row at the junction with Bond Street in 1928 by Herbert Thorp.
Entertainment
Although during the day it is mainly concerned with the financial industry, at night it is at the centre of Leeds' nightlife culture. There is a high concentration of high-end restaurants along Park Row, as well as a number of cafes.
See also
* Abtech HouseReferences
{{DEFAULTSORT:Park Row (Leeds) Streets in Leeds