Park Hill was previously the site of back-to-back housing, a mixture of 2–3-storey tenement buildings, open ground, quarries and steep gennels (alleyways) connecting the homes.

[8] Following the war it was decided that a radical scheme needed to be introduced to deal with rehousing the Park Hill community.

Park Hill (Part One) was officially opened by Hugh Gaitskell, MP and Leader of the Opposition, on 16 June 1961.

[12] Cobbles from the terraced streets surrounded the flats and paved the pathways down the hill to Sheffield station and tramlines.

At first these 'Streets in the sky' enjoyed some popularity and success; for the first time in their lives, the working-poor tenants had the luxury of private bathrooms and efficient heating, but problems soon began to surface; Parents felt unable to keep an eye on their children in the playgrounds so many floors below, some older people felt isolated – if the access lifts were out of order it meant many stairs to climb, and even when they were working, lifts could be unpleasant due to being used as 'toilets' especially at weekends, requiring a caretaker to swill them with strong smelling disinfectant.

Secluded walkways and stairwells provided opportunity for crime and anti-social behaviour [14] while high balconies invited some to throw refuse and other more dangerous items over them; in the late 1970s a child was killed by a TV set thrown from Hyde Park flats.

Government restrictions on how potential tenants were allocated to flats, the decay of the building's fabric when not maintained, poor noise insulation and issues with resident security caused their popularity to wane.

[18] A part-privatisation scheme by the developer Urban Splash in partnership with English Heritage to turn the flats into upmarket apartments, business units and social housing is now underway.

195 new flats and townhouses will be developed in flanks D, E, F, G and H around a central residents garden as well as 27,000 square feet (2,500 m2) of commercial space.

[23] Phase 3 has been developed as student accommodation, consisting of 356 rooms in 74 townhouse style units as well as communal spaces and a convenience shop.

An updated planning application was submitted in June 2023 in which the art gallery (and associated studios and accommodation) were removed due to a lack of funding.

[1] The 995 Park Hill flats and maisonettes, three pubs and 31 shops were built in four ranges linked by bridges across the upper decks.

[27] The site is steeply sloping (gradient 1 in 10), enabling the designers to maintain a constant roof level though the buildings ranged from four to 13 storeys.

The kitchens and bathrooms were vertically aligned, allowing simple ducting for services and the Garchey waste disposal system.

[27] Construction is of an exposed concrete frame with a progression of purple, terracotta, light red and cream brick curtain walling.

[27] However, as a result of weathering and soot-staining from passing trains, few people realise this and assume the building to be constructed entirely from concrete.

The estate is on steeply rising land the lower slopes, it is upwind of the former heavily polluting industrial areas of the Don Valley.

[28][needs update] A piece of graffiti, "Clare Middleton I love you will u marry me", written on one of the "bridges" linking two of the blocks, was the subject of a documentary broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2011.

Park Hill has featured as a major source of inspiration for British artist Mandy Payne, with her paintings of the estate winning several awards.

The area and above-mentioned graffiti are the subject of the song "I Love You, Will You Marry Me" by South Yorkshire-born musician Yungblud.

The musical Standing at the Sky's Edge, featuring songs by Richard Hawley, is set in Park Hill and tells the story of three families over sixty years beginning in 1961.

[34] Park Hill is featured in the 2017 science fiction romantic comedy film How to Talk to Girls at Parties, based on the short story of the same name by Neil Gaiman.

Park Hill serves as the setting for a part of the main character's love story, as well as the climax of the film.