Re: Save The Ormond Hotel

Hi all, I never participate in architectural wars, but in this case I think a campaign is warranted.

For those not in the know, the Ormond (in Dublin city centre) is due for demolition. An unremarkable building many would say, but its understated nature lends to the build up to arguably the greatest vista in the city (the dome of the fourcourts towering above the city terraces). Also, the building, while ostensibly Georgian/Victorian from the outside, may date back to the late 1600s, as most of the terrace of Ormond Quay was constructed at that time.

It holds an important place in Dublin’s social and literary history. Apart from its place as the setting for ‘The Sirens’ in Joyce’s Dubliners, it was the location for many a controversial, often significant political rallies from the Larkin lock-out of 1914 to blueshirt rallies in the early thirties.
It is an inoffensive, unpretensious building, inspite of inappropriate changes to fenestration, it stll maintains a calming presence on the quays.
What is proposed for its replcement is a typically bland ‘inn’ type motel structure, wholly inappropriate for such a critical location on the quays. All the more worrying is that this has gotten planning permission and thus the future of the Ormond looks bleak. Who knows when the buldozers will move in….
However, inspite of the go-ahead for demolition, there is still time for the owners to re-consider. They will not only be removing forever part of an unassuming terrace leading up to the glorious Four Courts, but eradicating a hotel of considerable heritage value, something that any new construction cannot hope to have. Hospitality dervives from traditions, and with the smashing of the Ormond, yet another tradition is undermined.
In saving this building the owners could create a spectacular hotel within the confines of a deliberately modest bulding. In replacing it, they will add yet another monotonous, inappropriate, and shallow complex onto the historic quays, which, in spite of decades of conservation pleas, is continuing to be chipped away till there will be little authentic remaining.
If anyone would like to help me in getting a campaign going on this please send me a private message onsite. I will be lobbying as much as I can on my own, but time is of the essence. This building is vital to the future coherence of the quayside – its demise would be a tragic loss. Any help would be appreciated.

John