1892 – YMCA, Marlboro Street, Cork

Finished externally in red brick with decorative brick mouldings, string courses and terracotta panels in high relief, including date plaque. The building has two distinctive oriel windows on the first floor. The foundation stone was laid in 1892, and the building officially opened in March 1894. The building originally included a lecture hall and cycle stables on the ground floor; a reading room, secretary’s office, retiring room, and junior members’ room on the first floor; classrooms, committee rooms, the honorary secretary’s office, a caretaker’s room, and well-fitted lavatories on the second floor; and a gymnasium on the third floor. At the time, the YMCA’s facilities were in high demand. The Reading Rooms were open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and a variety of clubs were offered throughout the week, including cycling, chess, cricket, camera, and tennis clubs.

“This Association has taken the old Baptist Chapel and surrounding ground in Marlborough-street, Cork, and is about to erect a Y.M.C.A,, to include all the requirements which young men expect in this civilised age. In addition to the chapel, which will be used as an assembly-hall, there are several reading and class rooms, and also a large gymnasium, dressing-room, bath, and lavatory-room, and abundant sanitary accommodation, and even a photographic-room and cycle stable are included. The arrangements are shown in the accompanying illustrations. The architect is Mr. W. H. Hill, F.R.I.B.A., Cork, and the plans having been adopted are about to be thrown open to competition.”
The Building News, January 29 1892