Pennys, Henry Street, Dublin

[d_d_dallas]

I have to say, walking down Henry st from O'Conn St the other day I was actually ... dare I say it - impressed with the new look Roches - but I think it's cos it looks so clean and on that scale ...in comparison to the rest of grubby rancid Henry St.

Any notions of what Penny's are doing down the street? Any change they'll brush up the facade of their heirloom?

[GrahamH]

They're replacing the naff 80s shopfront with a 'stone finished' front as their application reads.
Suffice to say the building is protected, and in no way will 'historic elements' be meddled with.
And I think some snazzy silver back-lit 'Penneys' lettering is going up as I recall, in place of the nearly flat white plastic rubbish that was there before.
It's all part of their massive extention out to Parnell St in that equally snazzy building that's gone up recently - which is also to house a new Peats 'Superstore' to contain even more unashamedly over-priced produce.

I must admit to liking the corner windows on Roches, but then again the corner windows that were there before were a rare example of good 60s design in Dublin.

[Rory W]

Speaking of the Penny's extension, can anyone in their right mind explain the way the extension staggers drunkenly along Jervis street. Did someone in the City Council decide that there wasn't enough corners along this street for drunks to urinate into or something?

I was wondering if you put "Stena Line" on the side of the Roches building would it look like something had docked there

[Paul Clerkin]

Originally posted by Rory W
Speaking of the Penny's extension, can anyone in their right mind explain the way the extension staggers drunkenly along Jervis street

I have been wondering that myself.

[GrahamH]

The blank wall of the original red brick Penneys (dept store) does the street no favours either.
Doesn't have a load of blocked up windows?
The street is feels like a dungeon as a result.

[Paul Clerkin]

Also quite a nice mock georgian panelled door set into the next office block... looks almost as daft as the georgian windows set into the luas portacabins....

they should open up the windows in the original building...

[GrahamH]

Perhaps Rory's drunken building is as it is because it follows the plot layout of the original buildings on the street.
Jervis St being one of Dublin's first 'modern' streets from the early 18th century more than likely had buildings jutting out in steps, so typical of 17th century streets.
Does anyone remember what was on the site before the current building went up?

[nono]

i do believe it was a big dirty carpark for years...

[GregF]

Infact, this whole area including Parnell St was disgracefully one big surface level car park.

[StephenC]

Wasn't that a result of an excellent idea by the city fathers to build a motorway through here! The Inner Relief Route I think it was called.

[Rory W]

Perhaps Rory's drunken building is as it is because it follows the plot layout of the original buildings on the street.

Now that was a silly idea if that is the case considering every other building on the street follows a straight building line - it works ok on Stephens Green west as some of the original buildings remained - but this is just silly.

Re the niches on Jervis street, windows were due to be put into them under the Sam Stephenson redevelopment plan (with BT style awnings) - dont know if this is the plan for here

[GrahamH]

Someone suggested in the 70s that it would me much easier for the Corpo to expode a bomb in the middle if O' Cll St and clear a square mile in the city centre, hence making their road widening plans so much less painful.
A 16 lane carrigway could then be easily accomodated down Parnell St.

[GregF]

The road widening policies by the Corpo aka Frank Feely & Co all those years ago have to be one of the most destructive acts that was done to the city centre (all well as other things), their legacy is permanent scarring that still remains today. (ie Parnell St, High Street etc....and all those street corners which were bluntly chopped off).
I think an act of repairing the city is much needed......and the curse of 100,000 snake bites on the culprits.

[redeoin]

Well his name WAS Frank Feely. Though he should have been rechristened Max Headroom.

[GrahamH]

Not forgetting whole sections of the quays that dissappeared.

[Paul Clerkin]

The new shop front is odd. Up to around seven feet it is polished stone, the remainder looks like black painted mdf...

[Rory W]

See for youself

[blue]

Talking of Henry, I would love to see Liffey Street pedestrianised - I don't see why it couldn’t happen as soon as Abbey St becomes operational again.

It's a great little street that has a huge footfall with a lot of people taking this route to get to Temple Bar and the Grafton St area. Pedestrians, like in so many other places in Dublin, are made use crushed inadequate footpaths even though the road hardly is used.

Even if the route was kept open but pedestrians had priority.

[GrahamH]

Penneys are aiming to to fully finished by the beginning of the Christmas rush - around the second week on December.
Whatever about the shopfront the interior is most impressive to the rear, very spacious and well finished.

[GrahamH]

Saw the new front today - I agree about the black painted MDF effect - but the windows are fantastic - massive!
There's nothing like them in the city - only critisim is there's no relief between window and wall, hence the ground floor looks very flat in comparison with the upper floors.

[Paul Clerkin]

The windows really throw a lot of light out into the street after dark - too many shops put a back to their windows...