page_title: Parkinson Building
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Parkinson Building / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Photo of the bust of Frank Parkinson taken in the Parkinson building, University of Leeds.
context_page_description: The Parkinson Building is a grade II listed building in Greek Revival style by Thomas Lodge located at the University of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. The clock tower is the highest point of the building and stands at 57 metres tall, making it the 17th-tallest building in the city of Leeds.
  The building is named after Frank Parkinson, a major benefactor to the university, who donated £200,000 towards the cost of the new building. The building construction started in 1938; however the outbreak of World War II in 1939 halted building work, with construction resuming and finishing in 1951. The building was officially opened on 9 November 1951 by the Princess Royal, Chancellor of the university from 1951 to 1965.
  A prominent landmark in Leeds, the tower can be seen for miles around the campus and from the M621 motorway some 12.1 miles from the site, and has become emblematic of the university itself with Leeds incorporating the clock tower into the university logo in 2006.
context_section_description: The university approved plans for the new building early in the 20th century; it was designed by Thomas Arthur Lodge (a leading Scottish architect) and Thomas Geoffry Lucas (an English architect and Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects), whose works included the original Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham and St Bartholomew's Hospital, London respectively.
  A former student of the University of Leeds, Frank Parkinson, who was a successful British electrical engineer and businessman, most notable for early electric lighting installations, viewed the plans for the new building, and in 1936 was so impressed with the plan he offered to pay £200,000 towards the costs of the entrance hall and clock tower.
  Initial construction of the building began in 1938, with completion finishing 13 years later due to the outbreak of World War II halting the work. The building was officially opened on 9 November 1951 by the then Chancellor of the University of Leeds, the Princess Royal. In 2019 Associated Architects completed a major refurbishment to the Language Centre which covers two floors of the building.
caption: Frank Parkinson memorial
exif: {}