The Haçienda — Manchester

The Haçienda at 11-13 Whitworth Street West in Manchester was the club that defined a decade of British music and popular culture. Opened in 1982 by Factory Records and New Order — funded primarily by the royalties from 'Blue Monday', the best-selling twelve-inch single in British chart history — the Haçienda operated until 1997 and during that time hosted the transformation of British youth culture that became known as the Second Summer of Love. In 1988 and 1989, the club became the epicentre of the ecstasy and acid house phenomenon that swept the UK, connecting New Order's electronic music inheritance with the American house music coming from Chicago and New York.

The Haçienda had been designed by Ben Kelly with a vision of industrial cool — yellow-and-black hazard striping, bare brickwork, a brutalist aesthetic that felt entirely unlike the plush or tacky interiors of most nightclubs. Before acid house arrived, it hosted significant performances by Madonna, the Smiths, Nick Cave, and many others. From 1988, its Friday night Nude and Saturday night Hot nights became the defining events of a generation. The club was eventually forced to close by gang violence and drug-related problems that made it ungovernable.

The Haçienda building was demolished in 2002 and replaced by luxury apartments — the Haçienda Apartments — which incorporate some design elements referencing the original. A blue plaque on the building acknowledges the site's significance. Factory Records' catalogue, New Order's music, and the broader cultural impact of the Haçienda are documented extensively in the film 24 Hour Party People (2002) and in numerous books about Manchester music. The site in Deansgate is a short walk from the city centre.