Re: Re: what now for Irish Times D’olier Street buildings?

Secondly, the detailing is shockingly bad. Below is an original vigorously carved, idiosyncratic Ionic capital with ebullient egg-and-dart detail.

And here is the cartoon edition of the 21st century.

A shameful lack of effort. The detailing couldn’t be weaker and stiffer if it tried. The egg-and-dart is a disgrace.

In addition, the elegant ridge profile beneath the base of the capital was not reinstated during reproduction. This feature adds considerably to the elegance of the piece – its omission is regrettable.

The same practice can be seen on the new pilaster plinths at pavement level, where the fine ridge detail of the original in the background is omitted on the new in the foreground. And mortar slopped all over the base of the pilaster to boot. Appalling.

Worst of all is the neoclassical fluting employed on the new doorcase lintels. What was once an array of 30 deep and forceful incisions into the coarse granite…

…is now 44 weak marks virtually polished into the new white granite. You couldn’t make this stuff up. Who on earth conducted this work, and who oversaw it?

The same can also be asked of the shoddy construction detail. Finnicky bits stuck in to fill the gaps.