Vivian Street is a mostly one-way arterial road in central Wellington, New Zealand. It forms a part of the country's State Highway 1 network.[1]

Vivian Street
View from Pirie Street
Coordinates41°17′41.23″S 174°46′29.52″E / 41.2947861°S 174.7748667°E / -41.2947861; 174.7748667

Since March 2007, Vivian Street's one-way direction has flowed east-bound, following the completion of the Wellington Inner City Bypass through Te Aro.[citation needed]

Red-light district

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The street was part of Wellington's red-light district, particularly in its western half around the junction of Cuba Street,[1] during most of the 20th century. It contained strip joints, peep shows and illegal brothels.[2] During WW1 the area was known as Gallipoli due to the number of soldiers visiting the area.[3] With the decriminalisation of prostitution in the early 21st century, Vivian Street's 'reputation' is undergoing a revival, with the recent opening of Il Bordello Gentlemen's Club,[4] and the reopening of the Liks Bar.[5] Between these two establishments is a live music venue for underground musicians and other emerging artists of New Zealand, Valve Bar.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b Carlisle, Talia (6 December 2013). "Vivian St's gritty history of brothels and murder". Stuff. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  2. ^ "Move to return red light district to Wellington". NZ Herald. 30 November 2005. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  3. ^ Bargas, Imelda; Shoebridge, Tim (2015). New Zealand's First World War Heritage. Exisle Publishing. ISBN 9781775592143.
  4. ^ Il Bordello Gentlemen's Club, New Zealand.
  5. ^ Clifford, Donna (2002). "Getting ready, Liks, 2002". teara.govt.nz. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  6. ^ "Valve Bar - Wellington - Venues at Undertheradar". UnderTheRadarNZ. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
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