Dublin Fruit Market
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An interesting event for anyone interested in this area of the city
http://www.pivotdublin.com/blog/?p=1369http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0802/1224301719515.html
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/1012/1224280878537.htmlTwo recent articles suggesting something positive may be happening with this site have been disappointing.The articles suggested that November would see some opening to the public. I visited this area yesterday to see it remains an area of neglect. The area is heaviliy littered and would take some serious development for revival. Its a shame because the Victorian Market building holds so much potential. In a visit to Stockholm last year i visited a city market housed in a building of similar stature and was completely blown away by how fantastic it was. The place was packed with swedish artisan food producers and was very atmospheric with diners and shoppers.
Sometimes I am amazed with what we didnt do during the boom and lament about what could have been achieved.To see a building like this stacked with pallets of fruit and veg is a terrible misuse of this building.A redevelopment of this building by DCC could kick start something for this area.Temple bar in the 70s was like this area and is proof that this area can be revived.
I d love to know where the Irish Times got their information for the latest development as there is no mention on Dublin City Council website regarding any progress for this building.The Fruitmarket is a true gem; the €425m Kelly proposal is clearly dead. DCC are going to have to either fund this themselves on the cheap or do a JV if they can find someone with deep pockets to take a 25 year view.
The food angle was nice when it could be afforded; looking at this in cold financial terms, the building is costing DCC money, the ideal solution is to offer the existing traders new pitches in the Fishmarket at a discounted rent and do turnover only license deals with restaurants and bars in the Fruit Market. The rates payable to the council would be huge; in contrast to the low income, low functionality it currently provides the city……. This area has onlt one catalyst in the 4 Courts, that is a day time only driver, it badly needs another…..
The fruit and veg market is dying a death. There was a time when the only way to get a bank in the market was if you were left it in a will.
http://photobucket.com/dublinfruitandvegThe Market has been rebranded Mary’s Lane Market by Dublin City Council and is being promoted as “an authentic Victorian shopping experience”. They should put something up on their website…all I saw was an advert in the Civic Offices.
The capital investment programme for Dublin announced by DCC today includes the refurbishment of the Market Hall despite the cuts elsewhere. It well worth it. I think with some clever collaborative thinking this area could really take off.
@StephenC wrote:
The capital investment programme for Dublin announced by DCC today includes the refurbishment of the Market Hall despite the cuts elsewhere. It well worth it. I think with some clever collaborative thinking this area could really take off.
I agree. I have to laugh at the fact that this thread is 7 years old and we’re still talking about doing this. It’s a development of undoubted benefit that should have been done ages ago. Considering all the other rubbish which was built during the boom it’s a crying shame that a worthwhile scheme like this was neglected.
No more talking, just go ahead and do it should be DCC’s view.
It is encouraging to see a flagship project such as this moving forward. This type of project would in my opinion give the national skills agency a perfect oppotunity to retrain a large number of unemployed construction workers previously building 16 to the acre generic units some value added conservation skills. The benefits would be multiple; reduced labour costs, potential EU grants, a strengthened service industry.
If this gets done and occupied quickly I have no doubt as the market recovers the adjoining land holdings will look after themselves without any need for further state intervention. Well done DCC for showing some vision on your own doorstep.
Following on from Dublin Civic Trust’s “Capel Street & The City Markets” study http://issuu.com/dctrust/docs/capel_street_and_the_city_markets_-_revised_2011 Dublin City Business Association have been fleshing out some of the issues that arise in returning the markets to economic activity and public use http://www.dcba.ie/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/DUBLIN-CITY-MARKET.pdf
As noted above this is a great project for the City to get its teeth into – realisable, cost effective and capable of injecting life into a currently underused area of the city centre. At my last visit in Feb, work has already begun on refurbishing the Market Hall http://www.dublincityarchitects.ie have a short blog post on their plans for the building.
I have said it many times before however that the focus must also be out in the wider area to ensure that the Markets become an attractive destination for people. Some of architect James Kelly’s thoughts in the DCBA documents are relevant here. Borough Market in London is also a good reference point on how to successfully integrate market/food businesses around the market halls into a wider area/quarter/etc.
Another blog site/Twitter feed worth following is http://dubcitybeta.wordpress.com/ – also an initiative of Dublin City Architects.
The key difficulty for me is overcoming the fact that the markets have always been a very hidden part of Dublin. I know native Dubliners who would get lost in that entire area bounded by the quay, Capel Street, Church Street, and North King Street aside from the Four Courts.
That to me is the conundrum. How do you open up an area that up to now has had little to nothing by way of attraction or ordinary business, and is in truth, a quarter that has long had an air of abandonment (and doesn’t feel particularly safe).
For me, that would have to start with Mary Street Little, and if it could be given some of the new lease of life Capel Street has, it could be a great success.Yes, fully agreed. Some simple actions:
Remove traffic from Mary Street Little and resurface to make its an attractive walking route. I think Fade Street shows what might be achievable in a cost effective manner.
Add new street lighting – the same as Capel Street
Add a few box planters
Agree a colour scheme and facade treatments with the building owners along the street
Add a post to the wayfinder unit directing to the market
Dare I say it…do a bit of Marketing! and advertise the market, give it a makeoverIts not rocket science
A great little video doing the rounds yesterday on Twitter..even after all these years it chimes with what another Civic Trust has been suggesting http://www.eafa.org.uk/catalogue/304
Is there any news re the development of the fruit market? It would be great to see this developed into something like Spitalfields markets in London or the English Market in Cork. It’s one thing we’re lacking – an attractive, properly-developed market area.
@StephenC wrote:
You might read the previous posts!
Hi StephenC. You have linked to some very interesting things but they do smack of a lot of what constitutes planning in this city – lots of masterplans, computer graphics and ideas but very little in the way of implementation. I’m glad to hear that work began in February and I’d like to see pictures, videos of that happening a la the new Marlborough St. bridge – tangible evidence that something is happening. I’ll be in Town over the next couple of weeks so I’ll make a point of going over to have a gawk at what’s happening with my own eyes.
Completely agreed Cathal. Just thought they were interesting links etc. And planning (or acting to be more specific) is subject to interminable delays in this city.
I did mention a few posts back that €1m has been set aside for the Markets project and that work had started in Feb. I had a nosey in today (couldnt get inside as it closes at 3pm – that will have to change) and its creeping along. It is fair to say though that the building is a working space but cant imagine there is too great a fire under DCC on this matter.
@StephenC wrote:
Completely agreed Cathal. Just thought they were interesting links etc. And planning (or acting to be more specific) is subject to interminable delays in this city.
yes, they certainly are but I feel quite burned from all the hoopla surrounding DART underground and MN. All the YouTube videos, pdfs, websites and flashy computer graphics all served to distract from the dearth of actual commitment to actually develop these pieces of infrastructure. Like a lot of things in Ireland, there needs to be less talk, more action.
I did mention a few posts back that €1m has been set aside for the Markets project and that work had started in Feb. I had a nosey in today (couldnt get inside as it closes at 3pm – that will have to change) and its creeping along. It is fair to say though that the building is a working space but cant imagine there is too great a fire under DCC on this matter.
I had a look today as well! We could have been within metres of each other without knowing it! I was in Town buying a few bits and decided to disintermediate all this internet stuff and have a look at it for myself. You are absolutely correct that building work has commenced – I can see all the H&S building signs plastering the market (now that’s gaudy signage I can tolerate! :-)) and some road works. In fact today’s visit made me even more determined that this fantastic Victorian masterpiece is given a proper restoration to all its former glory and peopled with dozens of artisan food suppliers. In fact I believe that Dublin’s Fruit Market, ar from smply equalling Cork’s English Market can instead be far superior and demonstrate, yet again our pre-eminent position in Ireland’s urban hierarchy. Truly the Dublin Fruit Market can become the best place on the island to meet and have truck with producers of quality Irish food and drink products.
PS. this jaunt led to me to a street in Dublin I had no idea existed – Little Mary Lane – it is a delightful side street with the rather interesting, “Chinatown Malaysian restaurant” and a mock-traditional Irish pub with what looks like a daub wall. It also seems to be the site of Fyffes warehousing in Dublin. The more you know!
No comment needed really.
On a more positive note,currently there is a nightly light show on the building showing it being built.
I have to say it looks fantastic, very entertaining I can only imagine how good something like this would look like on one of the big signature buildings in the city.
Not sure who is behind this show but given the state of the building unlikley to be DCC.
More of this sort of thing.
I dunno..could well be DCC Architects who are currently supervising the refurbishment works inside.
http://www.dublincityarchitects.ie/?p=98
I hate to seem as if I’m forever coming down on the Council. Of course it is capable of really good work. But in this instance one has to ask whether it would not be better for the building to be handed over to a private company with a brief to restore and develop it as a commercial market.
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