Dublin’s Ugliest Building
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I could add a dozen buildings to the list but there going up all the time. There’s no point moaning about spilt milk. Turn all the interest in this discussion toward whats about to go up instead. Or lets climb that scaffolding around O’Connel Bridge house and start taking the building apart (my 1st).
Let’s close this banal and distressing forum down, as I proposed at length (people don’t seem to read longer pieces) some months back.
Editor – PLEASE intervene!
James McQuillan
You’ve just bread life into after it inactive for over a week, moan elsewhere.
The Rathfarnham Credit Union defies all belief. For such a prominent site, why it was built is a mystery perhaps only known to God. It has the same red brick template so beloved of the lazy minded but with a BLUE painted facade. When contrasted with Rathfarnham Castle, and situated at the brow of the hill rising from the Dodder it’s hideousness is breathtaking- Be careful not to crash the car.
The most appalling vista must be the loopline bridge downriver from O’Connell bridge. The advertisement hoarding spanning the bridge is an eyesore that belongs to another age. It takes advantage of the blocked view of the Custom House by justifying it’s existence as decoration. It’s overblown and unnecessaryafter much deliberation, since there is so much to choose from, how about, in ascending order,
5.liberty hall
4.ebs westmoreland st.
3.that thing in christchurch that somebody else mentioned
2.burlington
1.the airportBut surely, datumdesign; The Customs House benefits greatly from the Railway Bridge in the same way that the Basilica Di San Marco in Venice and The Duomo in Milan benefit from one’s emergence on foot from the the Venice Correr Museum Loggia and the Milan Arcade, respectively?
An unexpectedly breathtaking vista opens before your eyes as break through into the open.
Paris on the other hand with it’s infinitely superior buildings suffers from it’s Imperialist ‘2 mile long straight streets’ arrangement. My the time you reach the building you’re shagged out and familiar with it. You’re made to feel small gradually, Speer approved of this idea.
I prefer the shock to the nervous system on first suddenly taking a structure in at once in all it’s staggering magnificence from close-up!
Ever visited the Pantheon?
John
After looking around I`ve found, in my option, Dublins ugliest buildings in random order:
ESB on Fitzwilliam Street(hopefully they sell it)
ESB on Westmoreland street
Hawkins house (to be revamped thank God)
Irish Life centre
Dun Laoghaire Shopping centre
That new office block at Liffey valley overlooking the N4
That row on mount street
Many office blocks in D4
to be contined……meanwhile i want to hear your comments. ThanksI think this is covered in the archives but no harm of a few additions/reminders:
1. Office block adjacent to Donnybrooke Bus Depot.
2. Park House sitting on its stilts along NCR near Hanlon’s pub (now this is a fine old bar / architectural Victorian gem.)
3. Hawkins House
4. Government (black cladded ,wire fenced / detention centre looking) central computer blocks (2 off) sitting on their stilts – off Memorial Road / Con Colbert Road.
5. Phibsborough shopping centre, Stalinist Architecture at its best.
6. Blooms (Costa del Sol) Hotel and associated balconies also West County Hotel.
7. Wood Quay Bunkers.
8. Ballymun Towers and St. Michael’s Estate. (presently under rejuvenation).
9. Housing in North Clondalkin and Darndale.
10.ILAC Shopping Centre.01.What about Ulsterbank on Georges Quay and that po mo microcity growing up behind it?
02.That building beside citybank, to the east-jeasus brissssse solielarama (oh and citybank & everything else S.T.W have done in the last 10 years)
03.And as for the expanded semi-d style of apartements beside O’M-pikes nice tower on Charlotte Quay with the lovely pitched roofs, almost as if you were in liexlip/ashbourne/clane/naas….. only on a bigger scale. Are people who design this stuff actually taking the piss? (see also 90% other apt block in the city built in the last 10 years)
04. But who could have forgotten that lovely clock tower on the Jervis centre, d’ya know what but tis beautiful. it could have done with another dado rail below the clockface though!
05.And best of all that extension to the quays bar, on temple bar square and all it stands for! yahoo diddle di idle, dydle dum. da di dyddle dun di dee…..
06. But last and certainly not least, yes you guessed it……
—‘PHOENIX HOUSE’ at the south side of smithfield square, so good they dedicated the entire top floor to a massive plant room, so good the staff arent allowed to touch any windows in case it interferes with this beautiful feat of engineering, and sooooooo good they placed a silverish giant bald headed american eagle on the roof looking west, or is it actually a phoenix. I kid you not!!!!!!! You have to see it! if you laugh half as much as myself and my flatmate do everytime we pass it, it would be worth it.“PHEONIX HOUSE” , Thanks pvdz I wondered what that….”yoke / ferry “….. was called.. all its missing is a funnel or two.. but it looks like its bearthed along the Liffey for ever.
[This message has been edited by Luke Gardnier (edited 03 April 2002).]
…if you’re ever in Wexford town there’s an architectural gem that should be preserved for the nation…a big sore looking yoke in red brick (i’m not sure what its supposed to compliment – there isn’t anything of that scale or material within 50miles), on the quays in front of the Talbot Hotel..”luxury apartment building”/juvinile detention unit..its a real country cousin to the many “brown envelope” developments in Dubliin
I used to work in Park House and although I wouldn’t say it is Dublin’s most attractive building, it certainly doesn’t deserve its places amongst the worst. As a building to work in, it was fantastic and the views from it are excellent. I also think it’s slightly coppered weatherbeaten look has actually improved it with age. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea but it’s not the worst example of that era by a long shot.
I agree Park House is not the worst example of a 70s office block but its location, monolithic design, singular function and domination of its surroundings in a mostly Victorian setting , leaves it totally out on its own and alien to the existing context.
No doubt its views from within are excellent but the view it presents to all who travel and live along the Victorian NCR is just another monolithic sore-thumb 70s lash up office block.
The pink copy of the Ansbacher Cayman Bank on Burlington Rd has to get it.
You can love or loathe modern interpretation but pastiche painted pink takes the biscuit.
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