Re: Re: Liberty Hall redevelopment
@GrahamH wrote:
. . . this area of the city is not designated for high-rise development . . . however . . . a discreet provision was deftly slipped into the Development Plan process in order to facilitate Siptu – indeed, the only one-off deviation from high rise policy in the document. The provision cynically attaches significance to the Liberty Hall site, not the building. How this exceptionally subjective angle on such a critically important building in the city made its way into the Plan without apparent notice by anybody is disquieting.
Although, on another level, it is almost refreshing to find out that there are people in Dublin City Council smart enough to be that devious.
Does Dublin have an emotional attachment to Liberty Hall?
Quote from that DOCOMOMO commentary:
‘Liberty Hall though was his [Desmond Rea O’Kelly’s] magnum opus, and Dubliners loved it . . . .’
Not entirely sure that that is true.
Did Liberty Hall not feature regularly in those ‘worst building in Dublin’ polls that the Evening Herald used to run on quiet news days before the arrival of the Civic Offices made the contest redundant?
Until there was talk of knocking it down, I don’t recall much talk of Liberty Hall being a great building, which seems to be the position DOCOMOMO are coming round to suggesting with their various explanations for why it never received the RIAI top award.
In fairness to the Irish branch of DOCOMOMO, they do have a tough brief, how do you celebrate modern architecture in a country which the modern movement largely passed over, without unconsciously gazing at its few mediocre monuments through the improving lens of nostalgia?
I’d keep Liberty Hall, simply because what’s proposed to replace it is infinitely worse and the planning rational for replacing it with an even bigger eyesore is deeply flawed, but my preferred option would still be what the Pivot Dublin guys came up with:
