The Hayes
The Hayes (Welsh: Yr Aes) is where the department store Howells, Spillers Records, St David's Hall and elegant Victorian arcades are found. The Hayes used to be home to David Morgan department store, a historic local landmark. Since its closure in 2005, the Grade I listed David Morgan Buildings have been subdivided into several retail units, and the upper floors converted into 56 luxury apartments. The exterior of the building received a comprehensive refurbishment, with the facade being restored to its original design following many alterations since its construction in the late 1800s.
The eastern side of the Hayes is fronted by the new St. Davids shopping centre. Prior to this it was home to Oxford Arcade, a post war construction that dated quickly and was underused given its central location. This area also features the new Cardiff Central Library which opened in March 2009. The previous Central Library closed in 2006 for the construction of the St. David's shopping centre and was located a few hundred yards north.
As part of the St Davids development, the Hayes has be pedestrianised and repaved, and a new public square was created at its southern end with large, interactive public artwork as its centrepiece including Alliance, a 25 metres (82 ft) high sculpture consisting of a large stainless steel and enamelled metal arrow column and a hoop, which glows in the dark, and falls and rises with the tide.
Read more about this topic: Cardiff City Centre
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“The filth and noise of the crowded streets soon destroy the elasticity of health which belongs to the country boy.”
—Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)
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—Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)