City Architect Horace T. O’Rourke on rebuilding Dublin

This article was published by the Irish Builder, July 22 1922. Horace Tennyson O’Rourke (1880-1963) was city architect for Dublin Corporation, now Dublin City Council, from 1922 to 1945. As such, he was responsible for leading the rebuilding O’Connell Street in Dublin, then Sackville Street, after the destruction of the Civil War. As a proponent of town planning, O’Rourke chaired and prepared the Dublin Civic Survey report of 1925, intended to form the basis for a city plan.

THE SACKVILLE STREET HOLOCAUST
City Architect’s Views on the Prospect of Reconstruction

Interviewed by an Irish Independent representative shortly after the bombardment of Upper Sackville Street had concluded, Mr H.T. O’Rourke, City Architect, expressed the opinion that out of this form of evil good comes, and pointed to the handsome renovation of the southern portion of Sackville Street occasioned by the trouble in 1916. He remarked that the idea of the city as a unit of life and culture was emerging after a period of unconsciousness, during which the civic unit had been obscured by haphazard development and national politics. Town improvement was the outcome of a new recognition of the importance of the civic unit. If we were to move steadily to the creation of a city worthy of the traditions of Dublin, the citizens must learn that the destruction of the old is a necessary preliminary to the construction of the new.

The Supervision of Designs
Having given some interesting particulars regarding the history of Dublin’s famous highway, Mr O’Rourke was asked “Will steps be taken in the rebuilding to beautify the new buildings?”
The City Architect replied: “Yes, I assume that the Corporation will seek to perpetuate its powers exercised under the Reconstruction Act of 1916, and believe that if such control is obtained the result will at all events be much more satisfactory than would otherwise be the case.
“We have in the lower portion of the street a fairly successful experiment brought to a conclusion, considering the many difficulties which had to be overcome.
“One must remember that although the public at large desire to see handsome and expensive buildings erected in such a fine street, yet the interests and purses of individual traders owning sites there must not be overlooked.
“In my opinion we have succeeded in Dublin with this task in a way much beyond that presented in London by the rebuilding of the Holborn Strand improvement, and Dublin is a comparatively poor city.

On the interviewer’s request for more detail the answer was: “Well it is simply a matter of co-ordination in the designs of the frontages. The roof silhouettes or sky line is a point of importance. One building should not unduly tower above its neighbour particularly with a short frontage, nor should the general sky line be of a level monotony for long stretches. A certain amount of symmetry in the heights of city buildings produces an effect of dignity and repose, but for artistic reasons it should not be of a dry symmetry either in the facades or sky line. The style of architecture should be uniform and preferably classic, which is easily adaptable for commercial purposes and important features, such as cornices, should have regulated heights in the frontages so as to carry the eye from one building to another. The other considerations are colour and materials.

Style of Architecture
To the question as to what description of classic architecture would be most suitable the City Architect remarked: “For a street of ample width and fine proportions I am in hope that architects will favour either of three types – Grecian, Classic with modern feeling, French Renaissance or the 18th century, traditional classic used by James Gandon, and of which Dublin has lost two of his finest examples within twelve months.
“The former elevations in this portion of the street, both on its east and west sides, were undergoing a process of deterioration in the change from Georgian residential buildings to modern commercial buildings, and the old-time effect was losing its homogeneity.

The interviewer’s next interrogation was: “How long will it take to rebuild this area; will it take as long as the other area after 1916, and are building materials cheaper?”
“By the time the preliminaries are completed and Municipal powers are obtained, together with the completion of the building contracts, I should say a period of from three to four years will elapse. This does not of course apply to the rebuilding of the Four Courts which would occupy at least five years in construction alone. There will probably be a couple of years’ delay before plans are perfected for rebuilding on the latter site, and a new building in entirety is inevitable. The rebuilding of the 1916 destroyed buildings has, of course, been delayed by the European war and the difficulty of obtaining materials at any price.

Rebuilding Prospects
“There is no doubt that building materials have fallen in price considerably during the past year, and there is a hope that labour will in the near future be somewhat cheaper. The best avenue of economy would appear to be modernised construction.”
“The suggestion as to the use of temporary structures following on the lines of what has recently been done in Cork brought the following reply: “I do not think that temporary structures of wood will meet even the temporary needs of owners in this area, as most of the premises destroyed are large hotels.
“In the case of ordinary retail premises such a method does not prevent rebuilding, and gives the trader the immense advantage of remaining on the site of his business which is familiar to the public.
“With reference to temporary accommodation for dis possessed residents, I do not think this feasible, but I understand that the Government are making strenuous efforts to provide such accommodation for the working classes, whose homes have been rendered uninhabitable in districts adjoining the Four Courts.

Plans for the Future
Asked his opinion as to whether the demolition would any advantages with respect to town planning he answered: “No; any great improvement in this respect involves the clearance of very large areas in which several streets would be involved, but I might mention that it would now be possible to continue Beresford Street direct to the river, and it would assist traffic through one of the main arteries out of the city to Phibsborough. Gloucester street may now be carried direct to Sackville street giving a corresponding relief to traffic passing through Earl street and Talbot street.”

The approximate value of the destroyed buildings was commented upon by Mr O’Rourke as follows: “I could hardly estimate the value of the buildings, as they stood formerly, but it is not difficult to give a rough estimate of the cost of rebuilding on modern lines. I should say that Four Courts when rebuilt would cost nearly 2,000,000, and the total expenditure for new buildings would reach a figure of at least 3,000,000. In addition, the Custom House would cost about 1,000,000, if re erected as a first-class public building. Including the Four Courts the loss about the same as suffered in 1916.”

Effect on Old Buildings
With regard to the effect upon old buildings and tenements in the neighbourhood of premises destroyed partly by artillery fire, the City Architect expressed the opinion that it was most serious, and the danger consists in the fact that the occasional passing of heavy street traffic may now cause sudden collapse. The inspectors of dangerous structures on his staff will have an anxious time during the next few months, and several of them, owing to urgency, have had to supervise repairs under fire. The public sewers and water mains will require to undergo an inspection and test by the City Engineer in streets where concussion was violent from the use of artillery. It will be several months before the tottering buildings in the upper portion of Sackville street may be safely approached by the public, and the presence of land mines laid in the basements causes additional anxiety to those whose duty it will be to supervise the demolitions.