Vivian Street is a mostly one-way
arterial road
An arterial road or arterial thoroughfare is a high-capacity urban road that sits below highway
A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It includes not just major roads, but also other public roads and rights o ...
in central Wellington, New Zealand. It forms a part of the country's
State Highway 1 network.
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
Te Aro (formerly also known as Te Aro Flat) is an inner-city suburb of Wellington, New Zealand. It comprises the southern part of the Wellington Central, central business district including the majority of the city's entertainment district and ...
.
Red-light district
The street was part of Wellington's
red-light district
A red-light district or pleasure district is a part of an urban area where a concentration of prostitution and sex industry, sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters, are found. In most cases, red-light district ...
, particularly in its western half around the junction of
Cuba Street,
during most of the 20th century. It contained strip joints, peep shows and illegal
brothels
A brothel, strumpet house, bordello, bawdy house, ranch, house of ill repute, house of ill fame, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. For legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe t ...
.
During
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
the area was known as Gallipoli due to the number of soldiers visiting the area. With the decriminalisation of
prostitution
Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...
in the early 21st century, Vivian Street's 'reputation' is undergoing a revival.
References
External links
Wises Map of Vivian Street
Streets in Wellington City
Red-light districts in New Zealand
State Highway 1 (New Zealand)
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