Abbey Theatre is unlikely to be redeveloped at its present location
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Future of the Abbey remains uncertain
The Abbey Theatre is unlikely to be redeveloped at its present location, according to the Minister for Arts, Sports and Tourism, John O’Donoghue.Addressing the Dáil, Minister O’Donoghue told his colleagues that, while the possibility of developing the current site had not been completely ruled out, it now seemed increasingly unlikely due to complications of property acquisition and cost issues.
Fine Gael’s Jimmy Deenihan has urged the Minister not to let the National Theatre go down the same route as the National Stadium.
I see that church behind the Abbey is for sale. I always thought that this church would be one of the limiting factors to the Abbeys expansion on the present site. I supposed that it would be hard to convince whatever church it was to give up their place of worship! I wonder if the church listed?
Eventually, – the penny drops that buying a lot of sites, from differing owners, who know that the purchaser is well heeled and can be held to ransom, and then build on a small plot, restricted by roads on three sides, to rebuild the Abbey, which does not fill all the time anyhow, is not really a good idea.
By the way, poor old Michael Scott tried to persuade Ernest Blyth to rebuild the Abbey elsewhere. But then, as until now, nostalgia for one of the Abbey sites won out.
Why not move the Abbey out of Dublin – after all Knock Airport is good enough for government work!
the obvious idea all along has been to move the abbey to the carlton site and give O’Connell St a real focal point. the carlton facade would be a great starting point and all the necessary space would be there to allow for access and so on to the backstage area for props etc. this was a big problem apparently in the old abbey.
if all goes well with the rejuvenation plan for the street and with some more good ideas then O’Connell St could really become the grand parade it should be. i doubt if it will ever happen but all the fast food joints should be banned as well!Originally posted by dc3
Eventually, – the penny drops that buying a lot of sites, from differing owners, who know that the purchaser is well heeled and can be held to ransom, and then build on a small plot, restricted by roads on three sides, to rebuild the Abbey, which does not fill all the time anyhow, is not really a good idea.
That is true of private buyers but not the government through passing a ministerial order through the Oireachtas the lands may be compulsorily acquired at open market value. Which given its location and the condition of the commercial market shouldn’t be too much.
Much more worrying is the potential listing of the Church, which I’m not familiar with.
Personally I think they want it in City West myself it would be easier for our John O’D to speed home.
This really is the LUAS situation in 1997 all over again. :confused:
P.S. any chance of a smilie in the form of an indefinite Clock looking dazed
i always thought it would be great to see a canopy old school style extended from the savoy with lights etc. and old fashioned movie poster stands like i have seen in france – cylinder drums with 2 posters each
plus we could do with a couple of major incentives like a new super cinema a la leicester sq. a major music store or bookshops to attract people there. the abbey moving there would be a great step in the right direction.
as for the rest keep dreaming i guess…If the Abbey moves to O’Connell St… the design will also suffer from another form of nostalgia… the facade of the Carlton. It’s a millstone around the neck of any new proposal for the site.
Sorry but the Carlton is perfect for the Abbey. It would solve two significant problems in the immediate area: just what is to become of the Carlton and the problems of the existing Abbey.
It would be preferable for the Carlton site to be redeveloped as a theatre than any other proposal. What O’Connell Street needs is a good dose of culture and the abbey move would facilitate that. Secondly, redeveloping the Carlton as a shopping arcade would temporarily be a good thing, but like all shopping centres they suffer from transient popularity. Stephens Green is a bit of a joke and so is the ILAC, but when they opened they were all the rage. Thankfully cultural institutions have a greater permanence.
The Abbey suffered from invisibility, as well as space constraints, on the present site. The Carlton site would, appropriately enough, provide that visibility such an institution would need.
Finally the Carlton facade is stunning – and would be an asset, not a liability to any new development on the site.
Agreed.
I’m still not convinced about it moving to O’ Connell St though; the effect the Abbey would have on the place would be precisely the same as the current situation with ‘The Bag Shop’ (or is it gone now), ie, nothing.How is Upper O’ Cll St supposed to develop by eating up the prestigious Carlton site, the large expanse of Dr Quirkeys next door, and the equally significant derelict site, replacing them all with a comparatively dead institution in terms of footfall.
Pass the Abbey on the current site, and note the complete lack of interaction with the street and the public.If more productions were on during the day, and other uses/attractions for the place included, perhaps.
Were it to move here, it is essential that the plans drawn up by Arthur Gibney and Paul Clinton on behalf of the Carlton Group be used. They proposed flanking Art Deco wings for each side of the 1938 facade, creating a major set-piece. It looked fantastic.
What does Po-Mo mean?
(other than something bad…)I think it was great, ok there were some decidedly ‘heritage style’ canopys at street level it could have done without, but otherwise it complemented, indeed simply flowed, into the existing facade, and would have contributed to the terrace as a whole.
Of course thats just a matter of opinion on my part, but if this is what’s built on O’Connell St I don’t think I’ll ever go near the place again…!
I was looking for that pic too!
Excuse my ignorance re po-mo.
Still, that design isn’t really po-mo. It looks like it on paper, indeed similar to many such yokes put up all over London in the 80s, but in the context of the existing facade it isn’t.
Such modernist vertical lines and the stepping of wall is very post-modern if in a stand alone development, but next to the cinema is clearly art deco in style.
The pilasters are equally po-moish, but in the context of the cinema they are simply repeating the features and lines of the original facade. Executed in the same materials as the original, the design would work perfectly.Most architects preference today is always to throw up up-to-date glazed boxes next to older structures, rather than enhancing them by sometimes building in the same style.
O’Cll St is a place where I think this is necessary, where the rest of the street needs to be taken into account as well.putting the abbey in the grand canal basin area was the idea first mooted by the abbey board but as usual that idea got booted by the govt.
a great focal point for either site as the national theatre could be a fantastic venue if designed and handled properly. one can only dream but a wicked theatre/venue with all the bells and whistles smack in the middle of town would be great to have. we will just have to wait and see i guess as always…From RTÉ.ie
Minister confirms Abbey will move site
The Minister for the Arts, John O’Donoghue, has told the Dáil that the proposed new Abbey Theatre will not be built on its current site.The Minister also confirmed that the Abbey would not be moving to the Carlton Cinema site on O’Connell Street.
He confirmed to Fine Gael’s Jimmy Deenihan that the OPW had been asked to investigate alternative sites that can not be identified at present.
O’Donoghue also said that he hoped to be in a position to announce the new site before the end of the current year.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Abbey Theatre, Eithne Healy, today welcomed the Arts Council’s confirmation that it has engaged Anne Bonnar as lead consultant for the Council’s review of the Abbey.
“We are looking forward to giving Anne Bonnar every assistance with her review”, Healy said.
“With this week’s publication of the Abbey’s Working Group Report and the start today of the Arts Council review, I feel there is now a real momentum on all sides to address the difficulties facing the Theatre and place it on a firm foundation for the future.”
I don’t understand why the Carlton site is being ruled out before the High Court ruling on the City Council’s CPO? Maybe its prudent to come up with another idea pending this much overdue ruling – which was expected before the summer break.
Still, surely O’Connell St is the obvious solution if it can work? I’d hate to see it crossed off the list permanently.Where are the other sites which are being considered?
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