Buildings we used to hate

Always liked Pelican House – well not quite the building but the landscaped courtyard that was contained with the L of the building… alas gone none

Contact the Dublin Civic Trust they have a collection of photos of commercial buildings built between 1960 and 1985. I would add the building opposite Jury’s at the corner of Pembroke Road that was occupied by Texaco, the American Embassy and the former Riada Stockbrokers building on the corner of Foster Place and College Green.

Apparently Jimmy O’Dea’s character Biddy Mulligan had some harsh things to say about Noblett’s toffee shop at the top of Grafton Street, designed by Robinson and Keefe in 1934, but I haven’t been able to find a copy of the sketch.

Sunlight Chambers was described upon its completion in 1901 as “the ugliest building in Dublin”, and some years later as “pretentious and mean”. I never quite got what the ‘mean’ referred to – the largely blank ground floor frontage perhaps?

The much-lauded pioneering Wide Streets Commission terraces of Westmoreland Street and D’Olier Street were criticised for creating thoroughfares of “a gloomy and monstrous aspect”. Now they are held up as exemplars of urban planning. One wonders of their purpose-built modern-day equivalents in ‘mixed use developments’ in two centuries time…

Once unloved buildings of the 20th century that have entered into some form of public favour tend to be those that exhibit a sculptural quality. These would incude Wilton House on the Grand Canal, the Central Bank, and even the Eircom office building on St. Stephen’s Green – the latter of which in my view has always been unduly criticised as a result of its association with what it replaced. The American Embassy was always liked no? It’s a shame that both Busáras and Liberty Hall still lack public affection. Then again, the same can probably be said of all of the above: being generally only admired in architectural circles.

Any national examples?

Thank you all – this is really helpful…

Heineken (?) building on D’Olier st.
Eircom Building on Marlborough St.
A-wear + bt2 on grafton st.
Building with teracotta cladding by Arups (?) on the corner of Nassau + Dawson st…
Ulsterbank building on College Green.
UCD campus (Wejcherts original scheme)

The furore over the Sunlight Chambers was not of course led by the public but by architects through the Irish Builder – just plain old professional jealousy as the architect was English

@nono wrote:

Heineken (?) building on D’Olier st.
Eircom Building on Marlborough St.
A-wear + bt2 on grafton st.
Building with teracotta cladding by Arups (?) on the corner of Nassau + Dawson st…
Ulsterbank building on College Green.
UCD campus (Wejcherts original scheme)

gunter says . No . to the eircom building on Marlborough St.

I’d go for the big R&H Hall mill building on the Waterford North Quays, oozes trendy regeneration potential imo, but seems to be hated by all and sundry Deise folk.

http://www.prettyvacant.fotopic.net/c1720591.html

from the 60s/70s specifically the bruiser that I would nominate is the Civil Service Commission building on Grand Canal St. Lower as a dark horse for appreciation in the near future, dunno if it is worth keeping but its kind will most likely disappear over the coming decades

God, that Waterford building is a beast, but with its (I presume) waterside setting… More than a hint of ‘ein’ feste Burg’ about it; 20thC castle architecture.

I know its not a building (but neither is the Eiffel tower example you listed), but The Spire defo fits.

It will take years, but people will grow to love it as a symbol of Dublin. It is was ever, badly damaged by an attack or a cock up with buses, construction etc there would be outrage