Grand Parade was originally a channel of the River Lee. The original Hiberno-Norse settlement of Cork grew up on its west bank. The river channel existed until at least 1690, when it is shown on a map of Cork. At this time, the east bank was still largely undeveloped, with only a bowling green shown in the area. By 1726, buildings had developed on the east bank, but the river channel remained in place. In a 1774 map, the northern portion of the street between Oliver Plunkett Street and Daunt Square had been reclaimed, but the southern portion was still a dock. Finally, by 1801, the river channel had completely disappeared and the street was fully present.
Today
As of 2010, some members of the Cork City Council had "raised concerns about the shabby state of several city centre sites" on Grand Parade - including the former Capitol Cinema site. From 2016, these sites have seen renewed development and investment. The street retains a number of commercial properties, with retail being most common at the northern end of the street and offices more common at the southern end close to the South Mall. It has an entrance to the English Market on its eastern side. Other features on the street include Cork's main library and Bishop Lucey Park, both of which are on the western side of the street, and the mid-19th century Berwick Fountain - which was originally in the centre of the street, but which was moved to the western side during later refurbishment works. It was commissioned by the popular and respected Judge Walter Berwick, on the occasion of his departure from Cork, "in rememberance of the great kindness shown to him by all classes in ". In December 2015, planning permission was granted for the redevelopment of the former Capitol Cinema site, and demolition began in April 2016. This included the demolition of the Capitol Cinema building and adjacent Central Shoe Store, as well as some stores located behind, allowing for a 100,000sq foot building stretching from Grand Parade to St Patrick's Street. It was announced in March 2017 that tenants would include Lifestyle Sports, Homesense, Facebook, AlienVault and Huawei, the building, named 'The Capitol' opened in June 2017.
