Grafton Street

Conforming to Post Modern 1980’s?
Else I could tell ye a yarn and say that the trappings date from the great empire age of Victoria with the statue of Molly Malone herself made by the very hands of Auguste Rodin….ahem!
Grafton Street is a good street however with an air of middle class affluence, even if it can be a bit pretentious and uppity, roish!

Lots of lovely stuff there, there’s probably quite a few Georgians lurking behind the gothic trappings of the Victorians.

At the Stephens Green end, there’s a couple of very early 19th century, Georgian style buildings with granite window surrounds which would appear to be the oldest facades on the street, along with West jewellers and parts of M&S.

The lamposts aren’t original to say the least, but the posts could still be 19th century, salvaged from elsewhere. The heads are of course delightful examples of 80s nostalgia.

I think the street was first pedestrianised in 1980, put the current paving wasn’t laid until around 87/88.

There were 3 main phases of development on the st
1. As the st developed from a laneway linking to the Green into a residential area in the 17th and 18th centurys.

2. Then the Victorians first converted many of the houses into stores, while in the 1870s & 80s buildings were demolished and replaced in the high style we see now.

3. Around 1900-20 many fine buidings also went up, including office buildings or ‘chambers’, which are esp evident opposite the Provosts House.

You can also throw insome 1930s & 60s development as well.

https://archiseek.com/content/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2686

The ‘History is the best judge of quality’ thread seems extremely relevant on this one. 🙂

What a coincidence Grafton St comes up – just as one of its finest buildings is unveiled after restoration.
It’s directly opposite the Provosts House, and has been covered in scaffolding since October, but it’s coming down right now.
And it looks FANTASTIC!

It’s a buttery sandstone structure, with massive marble columns adorning the 1st and 2nd floors, and is one of the city’s finest Victorians.

The stonework is now crisp and sharp and sparkling clean, and looks amazing in the sun. The windows have also been restored and painted a complementary shade.
And looks great located right next to what are my favourite infills in the city, a pair of Edwardianish limestone buildings, which are magnificent & very clean.
They all look so well together, such a shame they’re located in probably Dublin’s least noticed terrace.

Yes it does look well, except for the fact that it’s to be a SPAR!!!!!

One building I would love to see cleaned up is the chambers building on Dame St and the corner of St Andrew St with the Pen Knife Shop at Ground Floor. Its flithy but absolutley a gem.