Park Row, later called Crime Alley, is a historical landmark in Gotham City and was rather infamous for being the location where Bruce Wayne's parents Thomas and Martha were murdered, which started off Bruce's career as Batman.
History
Past
The area on the northern Gotham island that now comprises Park Row and the Bowery was originally called Logerquist's Acres in the 17th century. Gotham City's founder Captain Jon Logerquist maintained farmland here in the years before his death. However, Logerquist's farmstead was eventually burned by British forces when he refused to pay his taxes. According to an urban legend in Gotham City, the area is cursed and the ghost of Logerquist still lingers in the Bowery and Park Row. This story persists to this day, even though occult investigator Dr. Terrence Thirteen has claimed to have debunked the myth.[1][2]
Modern Times
Originally a ghetto street in downtown Gotham, Park Row gained its glory after thirty years. The glamour of its heyday was changed to poverty, and the street was commonly referred to as Crime Alley. One of the first residents was Leslie Thompkins, who lived there from the start.
The Park Row Tragedy
The Park Row Tragedy, as the newspapers called it, was a pivotal point in the life of Bruce Wayne. A robber named Joe Chill murdered Thomas and Martha Wayne in front of their eight year old son, Bruce after they had left the Monarch Theatre. Chill was first arrested the very same night after he murdered Thomas and Martha after he fled the scene. While the GCPD investigated, Dr. Leslie Thompkins looked after young Bruce, and the two remained friends after.
Preservation
Bruce Wayne used his influence to keep the street preserved during the rebuilding of Gotham, and made it the only part of the present-day Gotham City that remained. Bruce visited Crime Alley and placed flowers on the ground where his parents were shot. Roland Daggett, director of the Daggett Development Corporation, considered Crime Alley a breeding ground for crime, and tried endlessly to get it demolished and replaced with a mini-mall. As the legal roads proved unsuccessful, Daggett sent his henchmen to evict the residents, and hired Nitro to place explosives on an old gas pipe. The plan was, however, thwarted by Batman. Only several already condemned planned demolition buildings were destroyed, while the SRO Hotel, where there were still people, remained undamaged.
Background Information
Crime Alley was the location where Batman first met Jason Todd, when he attempted to steal the tires from the Batmobile. That was also where Dr. Leslie Thompkins maintained her clinic, and where Batman battled Superman in Frank Miller's graphic novel, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. Park Row was also part of Arkham City, and the memory flashdrive that Catwoman stole before she was captured by Two-Face contained information on Crime Alley, or rather, Park Row.
Appearances and References
Comics
- Detective Comics (1936-2011)
- #33: "Legend: The Batman and How He Came to Be" (First Appearance) (Unnamed)
- Batman (Volume 1) (1940-2011)
- Batman: The Dark Knight
- "The Dark Knight Returns" (Flashback and Main Story)
- "The Dark Knight Falls"
Film
Television
- Batman: The Animated Series
- "Appointment In Crime Alley"
- "Dreams in Darkness" (dream sequence)
- "I Am the Night"
- Justice League Unlimited
- "For the Man Who Has Everything" (dream sequence)
- Batman Beyond
- "Shriek"
- "Ace in the Hole"
- Gotham
- "Pilot"
- "Heroes Rise: These Delicate and Dark Obsessions" (flashback)
- "A Dark Knight: Reunion" (dream sequence)
- "Legend of the Dark Knight: Ace Chemicals"
Video Games
- Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu
- Batman: Arkham Series (See: Park Row (Arkhamverse))
- Batman: Arkham Asylum (as an illusion only)
- Batman: Arkham City
- Batman: Arkham Origins
- Batman: Arkham Knight (as an illusion only)
- Batman: The Telltale Series