Leeds Then and Today: Quarry House

Andy Hutchinson reflects on one of the most striking buildings in Leeds which has always divided opinion.

Transcript

00:00Hi and welcome to Leeds Den and today with me, Andrew Hutchinson.

00:04It's the building whose architecture divides opinion among Leeds residents.

00:08Quarry House is where the Playhouse is and all them places there.

00:12I think it's pretty bland.

00:14I think it's back in time.

00:16I think I prefer the architecture that looks like this.

00:18It's always one that kind of intrigues and it's probably when I moved to Leeds

00:21one of the first buildings that I really noticed as well.

00:23It's like something out of a space sage.

00:25It's a bit of a Star Wars set up.

00:28Whether you like it or love it, Quarry House, nicknamed the Kremlin,

00:31has now been part of the cityscape for 20 years.

00:35It opened in July 1993 at a cost of £55 million

00:39and housed the Department of Health and Social Security

00:42with more than 2,000 staff working there.

00:45Dominating the eastern gateway to the city,

00:47the building takes its name from the flats which once stood on the site.

00:51There are lots of archived photos of Quarry House,

00:53including this one when it was under construction in September 1992.

00:57Visitors were greeted by this specially woven water-themed carpet in the foyer

01:02and staff members could enjoy a workout in the gym and swimming pool after work.

01:07They used to have a women's only swimming session on a Wednesday

01:13where public, but only women, could use it for an hour.

01:17I don't know what goes on in there actually.

01:19It's a bit, what do they do in there?

01:21What are they doing?

01:25The building was purchased by Legal in General in 2019 for more than £240 million

01:32and Leeds was selected as the home of the Department for Work and Pension's

01:35second headquarters in 2021.

01:38Whether you like or you love Quarry House,

01:41it's certainly been part of people's lives for more than 20 years now.

01:45The building in many ways has a sense of mystery about it

01:50and today it's still serving a purpose,

01:52but as more people start to work from home,

01:55who knows what the future may hold for the building.

01:58Thanks for watching.