Academy to reopen as offices

The former Academy Cinema on Pearse Street, Dublin, previously the Antient Concert Rooms, which has been derelict for more than 30 years, is to be reopened next month. The building, which has associations with WB Yeats, James Joyce and John McCormack, among others, was almost destroyed by fire in 1975, but has now been restored to its original 1820s condition. The building has been completely renovated and extended, but is to be reopened as an office complex, rather than as a theatre or cinema. The public will, however, have access to the foyer and a viewing platform for the restored auditorium. The work of an unknown architect, the building was constructed in 1824 for the Dublin Oil and Gas Company, established to extract gas from fish oil.

The Irish Times