We reached a special milestone at Park Hill in Sheffield recently, as the building celebrates its 50th birthday!
It was half a century ago on 16th June 1961 when a proud group of Sheffielders - city councillors, architects, builders and the local public - gathered to watch as the brand new complex was officially opened.
And now, to mark the 50th birthday, we celebrated by installing a new neon version of the infamous graffiti high up on one of the link bridges which spells out the message ‘I LOVE YOU WILL U MARRY ME’. The identity of the author and whether or not the answer was ‘Yes’ are the stuff of urban legend now, and a BBC Radio 4 documentary due to air later this year will try to get to the bottom of the mystery. Its cult status was further enhanced when Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys wore it on a t-shirt at a gig in LA.
For Urban Splash, it’s not just an iconic piece of graffiti, it’s our invitation to the city and to the world to fall in love again with Park Hill, to start a new romance with this amazing building and the utopian hopes it represents of a better future.
Throughout its development we’ve kept as much of the original design as possible, retaining that passion that’s been present throughout. At the forefront of our redesign is a strong sense of community, something that lingers from the initial occupants who lived their days at Park Hill’s four(!) pubs, shops, nursery and social centre. The ‘streets in the sky’ held a fundamental design principle; to make occupants interact and it was important that this part too was retained.
And now, on its fiftieth birthday, that vision is becoming a reality as we put the finishing touches to the first phase of our ambitious plans to give the building a new lease of life. We will soon be opening up our four showflats and two new office studio spaces, and inviting everyone in to have a look and buy or rent their own little bit of this controversial modernist icon, the largest listed building in Europe.
These homes will bring Park Hill back to life and make it a happy, healthy buzzing place again. Urban Splash, the Homes & Communities Agency, Sheffield City Council, Great Places Housing Group, English Heritage and our team of designers - are all aiming to recapture that community. It has all the right ingredients to make it a roaring success - a wonderful location right next to the city centre set in tranquil green space, with fabulous views, generous flats and all-new modern mod-cons. Now we just need the people. So roll up, roll up, we need you… register here if you’re interested.
50 years ago, the world took notice of Park Hill - Sheffield became a destination for designers and housing officials from around the globe seeking inspiration as they grappled with their own urban housing problems. It became talked about, studied, revered, loathed and loved and still divides opinion. It is a unique, internationally-renowned design classic - there is no other Park Hill in the world. We’re proud to be helping write a new chapter in its history and I’m hope I’m still around to see its centenary.
Happy 50th Birthday Park Hill, and many happy returns.
Filed under: Park Hill, Sheffield, Urban Splash 1 Comment
I have to say…. I LOVE IT!!! its better than i imagined it would. Im so looking forward to viewing the internal part and i hope move back the Parkhill.