O' Connell Street, Dublin

[lostexpectation]

Originally Posted by StephenC

The wrapping came off Irish Permanent yesterday. All clean again. White windows as predicted. New floodlighting that is far too bright...it looks so out of place along side more subtle lighting such as GPO and Central Bar. And of course they hung on to their signage. What a shame. Here was the perfect chance for DCC to get to grips with the big illuminated signage along the street. Im disappointed.

Also...even though it planting season there is no sign of those 10 missing trees from OConnell Street. Or the kiosks.

what ya reckon of the huge signing placed inside the building like on the bank next door?

seems very cool, what use to be in that large arch?

[GrahamH]

As with all of O'Connell Street's arches, the entrance to a cinema, lostexpectation.
Hope to have more on this building shortly - it's had a chequered history.

Disappointing news about Irish Nationwide, Stephen. It was a prime opportunity...

[markpb]

Originally Posted by StephenC

Also...even though it planting season there is no sign of those 10 missing trees from OConnell Street. Or the kiosks.

They were planting trees at the southern end of O'Connell St when I passed there yesterday afternoon. Not sure how many though, I only saw one poor tree sitting in the claws of a JCB.

[StephenC]

It seems the cast iron vents that were located at the Parnell Monument prior to the revamp have returned. They were being reinstated today in the same spot.

[GrahamH]

Indeed they have returned, though not in the same position, on account of the sprawling new pedestrian crossing created at this northernmost tip of the median. They've been shifted southwards.

2003




2007



It was a concern that they hadn't returned so long after the completion of works; it looked as though they were going to be quietly removed, hoping nobody would notice. Though they are protected structures, however this raises the question as to the correctness of their removal from site, and also their reinstatement in an alternative location. Surely their 'merit' is derived not only from their aesthetic, but also their positioning untouched on the original site for the past 140 odd years? What's the point in roughly throwing them down again 'round about here', if the connection with their historical purpose is lost? Sure why not shift O'Connell Monument to the centre of College Green while we're at it?

I appreciate there can be practical concerns regarding pedestrian movement, and one must be pragmatic, but in this case they simply did not need to be moved given the skewed angle of the crossing. As seen below, the right-hand median crossing need only have been moved a couple of feet southwards (if even), while the Parnell crossing left as it was (it was orginally straighter and the bollards closer together).




Indeed this whole crossing has been treated with the finesse of a sledgehammer. Just relish the City Council's appreciation of the urban vista and sense of aesthetic.









I mean you really would wonder. That pole is entirely unnecessary, the signals being easily hosted on other existing poles to either side. And especially if the Parnell crossing was straighter on account of correctly positioned bollards, which would line it head-on with the left-hand poles. You see this all over O'Connell Street: seperate poles being used for single signal units, and multiple hosting almost non-existant.

Anyway, the bollards themselves have been beautifully restored, with layers of thick black gloss paint chipped off to reveal crisp relief.




They’ve also been painted matt grey which generates a higher contrast, better showcasing the decorative detail. The black originally concealed much of this.









They all still need to be wiped down!

[GrahamH]

They’ve also been positioned further apart than they used to be.




Of course the central question remains: what they heck are they?! Well as far as can be made out, they were simply part of a ‘suite’ of furniture introduced to the street roughly around the 1870s. Not only was this design used in protecting William Smith O’Brien at the entrance to D’Olier Street…




…but also used in the base of certain lamp standards in the centre of Sackville Street.



(image a bit squashed at the bottom above)





Our friends at the northern end appear to have been used simply as a protective feature around a three-arm lamp standard (as featured here before), long since disappeared, located in the vast untamed environment of Upper Sackville/Great Britain streets.



From what can be made out, this part of O’Connell Street has been used for generations as a taxi point, reaching back to the mid-19th century. The bollards and lamp would have been a safe point for patrons to wait after dark.




Perhaps the holes in two of the bollards were used as a convenient venting point of a gas/sewer main? Not that that quite explains the mysterious later trapdoor…




And for what it’s worth, once again those fantastic National Library photographs from 1969

[GrahamH]

Also, clearly it was decided to leave damaged parts as they were. This model for example has many decorative features missing entirely, and other parts cracked off. The studs around the base also indicate what once was.



Interesting to note some parts have been missing since at least the 1960s if you compare with the above pictures.

[Morlan]

Another fine chapter Graham, another fine chapter.

They are curious little things. Do you think these particular ones were moved here when Willy O'Brien's nest was uprooted?

[StephenC]

Good to see them back isnt it. And new trees have been planted in most of the missing sections. I garee with your comments about the traffic signals Graham. It follows on with earlier comments about clutter on the street, regasrding the bike stands, telephone kiosks (all Smart's are now out of use and derelict looking) and other bits and bobs that DCC seem to be happy to put in.

[GrahamH]

Indeed you'd really have to question the proliferation of telephone facilites here, given the largest telephone room in the state is located on the same street! Surely a double provision at either end is more than enough. Yes it's good to see the tress going back in

As for the bollards Morlan, no they weren't moved with Smith O'Brien was because: 1) they're not the same ones (his ones were narrower), 2) they appear in 1870s photographs at the top end of the street which are contemporaneous to the erection of WSO'B, and 3) WSO'B was only moved to O'Connell Street in 1929, so quite late.

Just on the monuments of the street, there's a new publication out hot off the presses from DCC's Heritage Office all about the enormous conservation project conducted over the summer of 2005. The foresight for such a publication is most impressive, with many beautiful before and after photographs by Donnacha O'Dulaing and Jason Ellis. The text is highly detailed, focusing on the proceedures adopted for each monument, and really brings home how shockingly badly they were treated in the past. In one instance a stone conservator remembers working on O'Connell in the 1980s (presumably when the railings were also removed), where silica sand was blasted at the stonework of the monument at a pressure of 100 pounds per sq inch! Today glass powder is used at 20psi! It had also been coated in a layer of coppery-orange paint, followed by a layer of black paint!

But the real heros without question are the bronze conservators of Conserve Europe. Here's some information about the project as seen from their perspective:

http://www.conserve-europe.org/exam_mon.html

'From O'Connell to Parnell' is in pamphlet-like format, and only costs a fiver in most bookshops. I suspect they'll be snapped up fast.

[manifesta]

The Stonehenge of O'Connell St? Look at the way they're huddling round the trap door in that first photo. I'm surprised this hasn't led to a new thread of speculations on 'Underneath Dublin' (and the ice cream factory under the Liffey!).

Originally Posted by GrahamH

2003




2007



It was a concern that they hadn't returned so long after the completion of works; it looked as though they were going to be quietly removed, hoping nobody would notice. Though they are protected structures, however this raises the question as to the correctness of their removal from site, and also their reinstatement in an alternative location. Surely their 'merit' is derived not only from their aesthetic, but also their positioning untouched on the original site for the past 140 odd years? What's the point in roughly throwing them down again 'round about here', if the connection with their historical purpose is lost? Sure why not shift O'Connell Monument to the centre of College Green while we're at it?

Because why do something right when you can do it wrong just as easily? Inscribe that in Latin and you've got yourself a new motto, DCC. I bet it sounds really good in Latin. Still, it's great to see the restoration work done on these. Glad the structures are back, albeit in the wrong place. I did like the composition of the four of them guarding the trap door to the hidden underground tunnel network, I mean, sewer.

Beautiful photos and research, Graham. The book's coming out... when?

[GrahamH]

Oh please - history-by-numbers in action. But thanks : )

Yes the 'huddled' layout was perhaps their most endearing quality originally: a shame it's been lost. Particularly as these are the sole survivors of historic street furniture on the entire street. Indeed considering the GPO bollards and bridge lanterns are embellishments to wider architectural set-pieces, the four bollards are the sole remnant of street furniture on any of the city's principal commerical streets around the Liffey, if not wider.

An elegant grey gloss paint was also used for the GPO bollards and former lamp bases in the recent works.




Irish Nationwide as mentioned was recently unveiled - a decidedly damp squib all round I think it's fair to say.




Indeed parts of the facade, particularly the first floor, don't look like they were cleaned at all. The windows do look smart however, in what was a very neat job.




Alas the ridiculous, tacky Nationwide green pediments have been retained.




They are elegant 1920s frames up close, with good carved detail including typical ribbon and flute carvings, and little ribbons on the pediments.







Also the crude ground floor fascia signage hasn't been addressed.




While the new floods are rather intrusive and ugly.




And even on the ground floor, the charming brass plinths haven't even been mended, though this could be happening later.




Why little of an improving nature was done to this property must stem from the fact that no official planning application seems to have been made - probably only consultations with DCC regarding like-for-like repainting and floodlighting. As such, DCC couldn't impose any conditions such as removal of the notorious signage to the bridge or at ground floor level. A pity.

[hutton]

Originally Posted by GrahamH

As such, DCC couldn't impose any conditions such as removal of the notorious signage to the bridge or at ground floor level. A pity.

Couldn't or wouldn't?

Nice how the colour scheme chosen coincidentally seems to legitimise the otherwise unacceptable signage and branding

But dont worry folks; at a recent DCC meeting discussing the JCDecaux adverts, it came as news to the planning manager that O' C st is an ACA. Fortunately he was corrected by his more junior officials; how .

[lostexpectation]

Originally Posted by GrahamH

They’ve also been positioned further apart than they used to be.





Of course the central question remains: what they heck are they?! Well as far as can be made out, they were simply part of a ‘suite’ of furniture introduced to the street roughly around the 1870s. Not only was this design used in protecting William Smith O’Brien at the entrance to D’Olier Street…

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v219/Dublin1/Dublin%20Archiseek/dolier-w

huh I thought you'd discussed this before when you put those pics up before, I just read in Pat Liddy's book that there were vents for the basements that extended all the way out to the middle of the road.

You can see the holes in the old pic. I wonder whats left of those basements?

[GrahamH]

How interesting. Which book is this lostexpectation - his most recent The Changing Landscapes of Dublin?

It's hard to believe all the same that the basements extended that far out (being considerably wider than Henrietta Street and much more modest originally), and not just horizontally but length-ways too, given the bollards up to recently were sited beyond the building line of O'Connell Street, essentially in Parnell Street. Would rumours of a tunnel from the Rotunda have anything to do with it?
Clearly they were venting something; the fact that only two of them have holes is even weirder...

[lostexpectation]

Originally Posted by GrahamH

How interesting. Which book is this lostexpectation - his most recent The Changing Landscapes of Dublin?

It's hard to believe all the same that the basements extended that far out (being considerably wider than Henrietta Street and much more modest originally), and not just horizontally but length-ways too, given the bollards up to recently were sited beyond the building line of O'Connell Street, essentially in Parnell Street. Would rumours of a tunnel from the Rotunda have anything to do with it?
Clearly they were venting something; the fact that only two of them have holes is even weirder...

to store drink of course

[Morlan]

Might be worth finding out from DCC what those trapdoors were for.

[Alek Smart]

Would the vents have anything to do with Findlaters Wine Cellars reputedly somewhere beneath the street ??

However leaving the vents aside and returning to the Pole issue as raised by GrahamH.

What exactly is it with DCC and other local authorities in the Dublin region that has them in thrall to the Pole manufacturing industry ?

O Connell St is presently a sorry looking shambles with little ACTUAL improvement over what went before save the Granite !

Presently we have a hotch-potch of signage some of it useless and outdated all over Dublin each sign meriting a new pole and the work necessary to erect it.

Just this week another set of poles has sprouted along Lwr Kilmacud Road to facilitate a new private bus service serving the Beacon Centre in Sandyford.
It would appear that None of the Proffessional Planners could bring themselves to contemplate how a Bus Stop plate could indeed be supported by an existing Lamp Standard or ESB/Telecom Pole.

Instead we see our roads and streets disappearing beneath a forest of stainless steel and aluminum for no good reason. (Other than perhaps a financial interest in the well being of the Pole industry ??)

These are the same Local Authority planners who have intense difficulties with the concept of pedestrian barriers at contentious locations as an aid to safety......!!

A shower of Wasters methinks ????

[hutton]

The white vans wiith the thelodalite gangs were out last night. Note the red lines marked in the pavement... Im hearing that a dozen bus shelters are due to go in - should work well with the proposed adverts, as noted already in the "..Sts cluttered already" thread.

[Alek Smart]

Whats the betting the shelters will be the new Modern Standard ones now replacing the old Adshels throughout Dublin.

Probably the last part of the O Connell St Bus Stop Action Plan ?

The provision of some form of shelter is welcome but I remain curious as to what design criteria will be applied thereto.....

Lets do a group Breath Holding Hug...ready ?.....Breathe In and Hold.....

[Devin]

Good coverage of the decorative bollards at the north-end of the street on the prev page, G.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Originally Posted by GrahamH

I don't know if this has appeared before; a very early - 1850s - photo of the GPO bollards when they were still lamp standard bases:
.

[GrahamH]

Yep - and doesn't the GPO look so much more regal with the coat of arms intact? And the corner Georgian still in its elegant Regencyish state, with all five of what are now only two elaborate window surrounds.

Here's a ghostly outline of the lamps from 1858.




And the hole in the top today. Only the left-hand bollard retains it, as the other is filled in.



They really were peculiar looking things, combining two utilitarian pieces of street furniture into one - an early example of form following function

[GrahamH]

The Bank of Ireland building on Lower O’Connell Street has had something of a chequered past, a history that helps reconcile the oddly modernist elements of its facade in what was part of an otherwise neoclassical street reconstruction (remembering this is the earlier, post-1916, phase of rebuilding).



Originally this elevation was decidedly more traditional in character, but was substantially remodelled in the 1950s to form what we see today. Armed with some basic information, it’s very easy to read the modern-day facade.

Prior to 1916, this site was of course occupied by the famous Dublin Bread Company building of c.1901.




Following the Rising, the remnants of the Bread Company building were completely razed, and the site redeveloped as the Grand Central Cinema, constructed between 1919 and 1921. The façade was quite different to what we have today, with an imposing cast metal and glass canopy extending over the footpath at ground floor level; it was for this feature that the giant archway was constructed.




As can be seen, the upper façade was also substantially different, with ranks of elegant lintel-capped windows at second floor level sited around small Corinthian columns and pilasters – perhaps redolent of Castle’s Rotunda at the top of the street? Certainly a design more fitting with the rest of the standard neoclassical stock surrounding it. There were also giant lintel-topped doorcases set austerely in the deeply channelled walls either side of the main entrance.







According to Jim Keenan, from who’s publication the above three photos are taken, a fire broke out in the cinema in 1946, completely gutting the building. The cinema remained a burnt out shell at the entrance to O’Connell Street for nearly three years until it was finally sold to the Hibernian Bank in 1949. It was around that very year that this extraordinary aerial photograph was taken, purely coincidentally showing the gutted interior of the former Grand Central, with steel girders exposed to the elements.







From the same year the building was acquired, 1949, this picture of Lower O’Connell Street also clearly depicts the scorched shell of the Grand Central.




The Hibernian Bank went about transforming the building into a high-profile branch in a typically bankish ‘quality’ fashion, with newly imported Portland stone, and impressive, locally-crafted bronze fixtures commissioned for the façade. Presumably it was decided to replace much of the upper facings because of irreparable scorch marks or expansion cracks to the original stonework. The work seems to have taken the best part of two years.

As can be seen, the upper façade was substantially remodelled, with the classical windows replaced with tall modernist apertures filling the full height of the bays. Additional windows were also added to the attic storey (largely redundant for a cinema), with the decorative medallions also removed.



Unfortunately the upper railings seem to have disappeared since, seemingly even later than the 1950s.

The Hibernian Bank Limited lettering was also incised at this time.



Needless to say, the elaborate glazed canopy that dominated the Lower street was not re-erected.

[GrahamH]

The Hibernian Bank also replaced the imposing stone doorcases on the ground floor with even larger versions, this time dressed in finely detailed bronze, made in Dublin by J&C McGloughlin Ltd in 1951, a large iron and steel foundry originally based on Pearse Street that later moved to the Dublin 8 area. They seem to have closed around 1980, but that’s open to correction. They’re probably most famed for their magnificent Leinster House entrance gates from around 1890.







Exquisitely detailed, they also feature what must surely be the most well-hidden date stamp in the entire city; it’s almost a hands-and-knees case.




Just inches from the ground.




The windows also appear to be of bronze – though the attic storey of timber - while much of the original stonework was retained in the reordering.







Some beautiful detailing and contrast in textures.







Here you can see the bank newly completed in the 1950s with the giant side doors wide open. Also note the extra setback storey that was added to the top, apparently in compensation for the loss in height from the former Bread Company building.





© Ken Finlay Collection

[GrahamH]

Also just an earlier view of the canopy, painted white by 1944.




All in all, the remodelled building makes for an attractive and coherent addition at the entrance to the street, whatever of the recent glazed insert...