Building tribute to man behind Westcourt

As a tribute to Mr Hodgson’s legacy, his son Tim has renamed a major building in the heart of Leeds in his honour.

18 Park Row, which was formerly known as Abtech House, is now called Kenneth Hodgson House.

Mr Hodgson was the founder of the Westcourt Group, which was established in 1992. He died in September 2011, aged 60.

The Westcourt Group has just completed a six-month restoration of the Grade II listed building. The company bought the property in late 2012.

Tim Hodgson, who is a director of the Harrogate-based Westcourt Group, believes the refurbishment captures his father’s spirit.

Mr Hodgson said: “It was of great importance to me that I was able to name the building after my father.

“He was an exceptionally gifted businessman and very proud to call Leeds his home. I feel the grand location and care put into the project is a respectful nod to him.”

Harvey Burns acted for Westcourt Group in acquiring the property from the selling agents, Eddisons. The LHL Group project managed the restoration for Westcourt Group.

The work included the restoration of the 100-year old brickwork and architectural frieze. The internal work was undertaken by Hull-based Chameleon Business Interiors.

Mr Hodgson added: “By nature, property development is, more often than not, a numbers driven game, but this particular building required a little more heart than head.

“Retaining the historic character was of great importance to me. We’ve been able to marry the two perfectly, offering four boutique style office spaces that total just over 2,900 sq ft , and we’ve returned this historic building to its magnificent state once more.”

The restoration project has included 100-year-old tiles which were found in the hallway.

Mr Hodgson added: “The offices lend themselves to either an established or growing business; perhaps a firm looking for its first central Leeds base, or in addition to an existing foothold.”

The Westcourt Group is a commercial property investment company with properties in Leeds, Sheffield, York, Harrogate, Rotherham, Ripon, Northallerton and Skipton.

Its portfolio includes offices, shops, restaurants and garages and tenants include Dorothy Perkins, Skipton Building Society, The Card Factory, Kwik-Fit and Toyota.