Re: Re: ‘Dutch Billys’

@gunter wrote:

OK, we can settle this. If you believe that say College Green did not present a ‘coherent gabled streetscape’ and you imply that Amsterdam is full of ‘Coherent gabled streetscapes’ why not toss out some random street numbers on any of the four great circular Amsterdam canals, ‘Singel’ nos. 1 – 450, or ‘Herrengracht’ nos. 1 – 625, or ‘Keizersgracht’ nos. 1 – 810, or ‘Prinsengracht’ nos. 1 – 1131, I’ve got a book here and I’ll post up the street elevations of the sections you pick . . . . . and then [with an eye for coherence] we’ll compare. 🙂

Ok I’m impressed that you can do a human google and throw up any group of houses from the Amsterdam grachts, but it’s not necessary. I know Amsterdam well. I’m guessing you’d like to illustrate disparities in style and scale of the houses, but that’s not the same as incoherence. While yeah there’s great variety in style and scale along the canals, it’s a full-on and fully formed gabled city ………… but come on, it’s Amsterdam. There’s hardly any need to argue about what it is, now.

Maybe gabled Dublin did have coherence in a provincial sort of way and for its small size at the time …. but it obviously wasn’t of such coherence / quality that it could get in the way of construction of a classical city from the mid-18th cen. on (prosperity/political issues notwithstanding).

Interesting ‘restorations’ there from the ’70s …. you do wonder sometimes walking around the ‘Dam … all seems a bit too perfect at times …

Incidentally there’s an excellent history of the city museum on Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal for anyone thinking of heading there for a weekend of sex & drugs / buildings & culture.

@newgrange wrote:

A close-up here of three of the houses seen in the Cuffe Street view posted by newgrange.

So many of these streetscapes of unremarkable Georgian houses and altered gabled houses were wiped out that we should be thankful for the ones that do survive, like Capel Street.

There’s one mid-18th century building left on the Cuffe Street / Upper Kevin Street axis, tucked in beside what used to be the Junction pub at the corner of Wexford St ……. looks just like a late-18th or 19th century building, except with a higher roof and small windows.

Cuffe Street again, seen from near the Stephen’s Green corner. The three buildings in the previous pic are to the right of the guy on the bike.