Re: There’s your culture!!!
Lexington, the green hut is called the fireman’s hut since it was originally where a fireman kept a watch in case there was a fire on patrick street. Quite what he was supposed to do in case of fire, I don’t know 🙂
Now, radioactiveman likes a bit of CULTURE. So the other day I headed off to Caroline Street to visit the APE OPERA HOUSE! Its located in the old ESB power house on the street (turn onto Maylor st. from Patrick Street and take your first right- i.e. behind Cash’s/Brown Thomas).
I’d urge everyone to take a look at this exhibition- not only for the art- which is a kind of a cross between Planet of the Apes and a night at the opera with lots of plaster! but the building itself is amazing.
It’s a three storey building, originally constructed by Siemens as the power house for the whole city. Its dusty and in need of a clean up but is just crying out to be used as a pemanent exhibition space or museum type affair. The remnants of its industrial past are everywhere and the building is wonderfully lit by nice large windows. Im told, that on the top floor (which is not open to the public) contains the old switchboards for the old electric trams which once traversed the city. It is, i’m told of major historical importance!
This building has stood empty and abandoned for many years. The ESB seem to have no use for it. It is of major historical importance to the city and is a great example of the beauty of functionality in architecture. This is a building built to do a job- no more, no less. That is where its architectural value lies. I’d urge everyone to go to the exhibition- see http://www.cork2005.ie for details and take a look. The artist and indeed Cork2005 deserve high praise- not only for the artistic merit of the work, but for re-introducing us to a gem of a building- just off Patrick st, which i’d forgotten had even existed – NOW THAT’S CULTURE!
