Re: Re: Dorset St (Upper)

A look at the corrugated, er, improvements on the Sheridan building. Who is responsible?

Back to the news coverage:

@hutton wrote:

Developer makes play for Sheridan’s birthplace

From The Irish Independent Sat, Feb 10 07

A DEVELOPER plans to demolish the birthplace of 18th century playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan and replace it with an apartment block.

Planning permission has been sought from Dublin City Council by Shane Murphy, with an address at Malahide in Dublin, to demolish the playwright and Whig MP’s former home at 12 Upper Dorset Street. Mr Murphy wants to build nine apartments, including a luxury penthouse suite.

A listed building, the house is currently in a dilapidated condition and two of the upper floors have been demolished. A conservation report attached to the planning application calls it an “eyesore”.

I’m disturbed by the suggestion in the article that it’s okay to demolish a building because, after all, a conservation report dubbed it an ‘eyesore’. I’m sure the conservation report had more to say on the subject, and perhaps it even bothered to list some of the architectural merits of the building… not the least of which is that this is on the Record of Protected Structures. But alas, such limited space in the Irish Times!

You have to wonder if such ‘improvements’ as the corrugated steel were made to make this building even more of an eyesore. Because apparently, it’s an appropriate conservation practice to just tear something down the worse it looks.