Liberty Hall

I pass it most nights an I think that it adds so much to the building and the Dublin skyscape at night, now if only they could do something with the other 12 floors of the building!!!

Rory W

It’s a great building that unfortunately has a really cheap and nasty skin. How about re-cladding it? (They’re planning to that with the County Hall in Cork, Ireland’s tallest building.)

Is architectural beauty really only skin deep?

Yes, that’s a great Idea, re-cladding Liberty Hall. Is that what they’re doing with O’Connell bridge house at the moment?

Reclad Liberty Hall. No, because we would end up with some dreadful 13 storey Post Modern rubbish.

My suggestion, replace the glazing with non-reflective glass like it was originally when built. It would go some way to nmaking the building appear lighter.

There is no comparison between Dublin’s Liberty Hall and Cork’s County Hall,as the latter is just sheer ugly.The former is far more attractive even if it’s Mies gone wrong.
O’Connell Bridge House is getting new glass which will restore it to it’s former glory of reflective optimism.

Of course if anything has to be done to Liberty Hall we should ensure that the height is raised to exceed County Hall as that would really annoy the Leesiders.

And while we are in the area is not that walk down from the O’Connell Bridge a really good example of what is the problem with Dublin. Closed buildings, tawdry shops, apparently abandoned buses etc.

What is it with Liberty hall’s windows? The problem with them (and so the whole building from a “skin” point of view) is that they lack uniformity – they’re never all in the same position and look very cheap because of that – if they were “symmetric” it would give the building a great mirror effect in sunny weather. But they just look…. “rattle-y”
And I agree about raising the height – just stick an antenna on it like they did with the Petronas Towers in Kuala-Lumpur to beat the Sears tower into 2nd place!

They lack uniformity because somebody blew up a bomb outside Liberty Hall in 1972 and the windows were not replaced the same as the originals (Which were transparent and looked much better than what is there at the moment). Hence the lack of uniformity.

Rory W

It’s still generally pathetic on the exterior. Dreadful design. Was it designed by committee?

The top IS wonderful!

John

I was on the DART the other day and couldn’t help notice the state of Liberty Hall. The glass looks all smashed and cracked. From what I can tell it’s the internal coating of the glass that has broken up and this is what gives the glass a broken/cracked look. It is a disgrace. I always thought Liberty Hall looked good from a distance and I now know I was right. Up close it is one the most disgusting looking buildings. I want Liberty Hall to remain in the city but can’t they do it up??? If they changed the glass to a black for examlpe. Toronto in Canada has some fabulous black skyscrapers. Liberty Hall is old yes but it should be maintained. What about self cleaning glass? And do something with the frame of the building so the new glass blends in with it. It could look good if the effort was put in!!!

What is it about Ireland? Why do they build Liberty Hall for examlpe as well as a few others and then just stop at that? I don’t understand how people could allow such buildings to go up and then complain about the nice, worthwhile projects that are being proposed. The quality of these buildings are very poor (Hawkins House, Apollo House…), so why do people object to tall, new and stylish buildings? Sure George’s Quay Plaza is good but lacks height. I agree that skyscrapers should be located in the right place but why don’t we have any? Is this all Ireland can do? Are we just capable of building flat, ugly buildings? Sir John Rogerson’s Quay is a fantastic idea, I hope they build it and several others like it, in the right area though. We have to protect our famous/important buildings.

I agree. I really hope Sir J Rogersons Quay gets built. I also hope that they continue along those lines and construct similar buildings.

Yes, Dublin is a fine example of a Georgian city and it’s only right that that should be noted and a sence of pride taken in it. But what is wrong with leaving a representation of 20th and 21th century architecture to go alongside these great Georgian and Victorian buildings in order to mark our city’s chronoligical development? Our citizens should indeed take pride of past architectural glories, but not be stuck in them.

liberty hall, cork county hall, ballymun flats, hawkins house, apollo house and so on. What idiot designed these buildings anyway? these particular buildings scream filth. they are so dirty looking. the quality and design are also very poor indeed. they were just left to rot away in my opinion. look at the windows in hawkins house for example. i know it’s going to be done up but that should have been done a long time ago. did you know that cuba has nicer skyscrapers than us in some parts. it shocked me! yes it’s poor but atleast they have skyscrapers. hawkins house is especially ugly and so typical of the irish eh! i blame those idiot designers for suggesting that such filth to go up in our city in the first place. if they had only designed these buildings with some style and character in mind. all i can say now is well done lads and thanks ever so much for f**king up our city!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You should visit this site:

http://skyscrapercity.com/

Skyscrapers aren’t that great in dense European cities, unless they’re in planned areas like La Defense or Canary Wharf. Of course, our docklands is a planned area, but the likes of Sinn Fein’s Daithi Doolan ensure that the docks will remain a few hundred acres with the same amount of office space as a single building in London.

Ireland has lots of lovely old Georgian & Victorian and I believe every building put up in this country should be a poor representation of these styles. Ireland should forsack its culture, creativity and personality and continue to worship the fine work of the colonists. Hell lets bring the Brits back!

Georgian & all other styles were considered contemporary in their time. So why are we prevented from building contemporary buildings….

I remember seeing ‘poor’ Daithi out protesting at the visit of Prince Charles a few years ago when he fulfilled the Irish stereotype by throwing eggs and potatoes at him.

And he ‘s against high rise?…….would he even know his elbow from his arse.

The thing that I hate about tall buildings in Dublin, or proposed buildings, is that there is no overall plan to accomodate them in the city.

The solution most people would agree with & would want to see is for the existing city centre to remain at 5/6 storeys but for the Docklands to reach fror the skies, hence having a dictinctive city skyline of extremes, with the ‘old’ being protected.

But this is’nt happening, and there are tallish, smallish 7/8/9/10 storey structures going up & being proposed, that are just bland, & in terms of height, contribute nothing to the city but vagueness and a lack of coherence.

“yes it’s poor but atleast they have skyscrapers”

dammit naz skyscrapers arent necassarily a sign of a good city. a clean main thoroughfare and a loack of crime are more important than building tall. i appreciate that you have an (overwhelming) interest with tall buildings but dammit theres more to improving cities.

also, what the hell is daithi doolan talking about?,

‘Ireland is now the 8th richest country in the world so there can be no excuses for homelessness, for waiting lists, overcrowded private accommodation or people being priced out of the housing market.’

theres plenty of excuses dots. i dont know who they are but those 7 better countries are probably just as crap for those at the bottom of the capitalist puddle

very true. i would want for a safer city and so on yes but also for a modern one. it does work well in other countries. surely we can have both. it is just time for ireland to be like other countries, that’s all i am saying.

Originally posted by naz78
it is just time for ireland to be like other countries, that’s all i am saying.

and that means skyscrapers?

height does not mean good architecture – there are just as many bad or ugly skyscrapers as good ones…

the skyscraper appeals to the same primitive instinct in man as the gothic cathedral did in the middle ages – the “oh my jaysus, would ye look at that brigid” factor

…i am expressing an opinion just like you and sure why not? everyone else does. i am however interested in other topics too such as the metro and the new terminal at dublin airport, blah blah blah. i understand that high-rise is not the be all and end all of everything but as i am new to this website i am curious to what others think…

We all love skyscrapers but lets face it, Dublin is not a skyscraper city. If you want skyscrapers, go to New York or Chicago. If you want a largely intact Victorian city, Dublin’s the place to be. Have some confidence in the city and less derogatory comments about Irish abilities please, it’s getting old.

If there is one real problem in Dublin it’s the damn litter, it’s everywhere. The whole freakin place is covered in rubbish and no-one seems to notice.

yes yes, that is a big problem. there are several other issues that are far more important, that i already know but as i keep saying, give me a chance, i am only new to the site. i just see from this web site that skyscrapers seem to wanted by several people out there. i was surprised at how many!

anyway…..
anyone think terminal 2 at dublin airport is a good idea? i also hear that the new metro will serve the airport. have they started on the metro yet?

naz78, i can see you are too busy writing here to read the papers.

here we go again…. listen, i’ll say what i like, just like you all keep doing with me. what is the point in having a site like this if poeple can’t ask questions and express opinions? i thought that’s why discussion forums were invented! so whatever you say!

in relation to your comments regarding the paper… too sick at the moment, therefore i find it easier to use the laptop. it is hard to find info on the net about different projects and i do look at the news sites too. it’s just easier to ask others…

you are all wasting your time trying to win this one and would be better off sticking with trying having a normal conversation, like what i am trying to do, if you’ll only let me. it’s a free counrty. i’ll say what i like.

calm down lads!

poor liberty hall. it always gets knocked just like several others in the country. while i also agree with skyscrapers, there are far more important issues.

poverty, crime, transportation, drugs and rubbish to name a few. in a perfect world we could have it all yes but this is not a perfect world. i would love to see ireland change with the times and who knows it could still happen. we have plenty of time for change. there are plans for plenty of high-rise in the city of dublin anyway so all we can do is wait and see. there are plenty of cities that don’t have any high-rise at all on this planet. fighting on a site like this won’t get us any closer to a high-rise city………..

I agree, there seems to be a lot of thin skins on th site at the moment.,..everyone is getting very bad tempered. Naz, you’re right, everyone has the right to an opinion and everyone has the right to disagree with someones opinion.

Also all these threads go way back so it might be a good thing to read whats goen before or use the search facility. It does seem that the same questions can get asked over and over again.

I agree with Naz in that we need taller buildings in Dublin . I have always advocated this point. It would help curb the urban sprawl and would make the city more compact and substantial.
I think however that tall buildings should be stratigically placed in the city so as to create focal points and vistas and not just plonked here and there. Putting high rise in an older established and uniformed street of 4 storeys would be ridiculous. (Visit Glasgow as an example)
Dublin docklands is an ideal location to create eyecatching radical high rise buildings and structures ….sadly it is not the case…..due to the conservative constraints set by the DDDA, vote catching TD’s and some visually illiterate members of the general public. Instead humdrum stumpy 4 storey run of the mill office developments are springing up in this prime location.
If Dublin is to compete with cities abroad as a tourist destination and a place of good living for the natives alike, it will have to adhere to high standards of architecture and civilty so as to achieve such status.
Getting the likes of big names in architecture such as internationally renowned designer Calatrava to create bridges, buildings, features etc….will add to the attraction of the city.
Blanned boring architecture, dereliction, filth, crime, etc….will forever deter the progress of Dublin city.

thank you. altleast some people agree with me. now getting back to the normal topics.

one thing i find odd is the port area of dublin. it is so far down and as a result i have never really seen it. looking at a map of the area the streets seem to be numbered instead of named but i could be wrong. any ideas on what is going on in this area? is it going to be improved at all? it seems to be a huge open area. i was only down at the port once so i can’t remember exactly how it looks. temple bar is a busy area but the port area is so quiet, when i say quiet i mean there are no pubs/clubs and so on. if some leisure facilities were built in this area along with some pubs and clubs it would be a great way of bringing some life in to the area. there is something quite nice about facilities/pubs/clubs close to the quays. i do think that when you head down towards the point there are some lovely spots along the quays. it just seems like all the action goes on well away from this area. it would be nice if dubliners and so on could use this area too as a place to socialise. it could be a different experience altogether. i would try it…

hey naz78, i didn’t mean to suggest you didn’t have the right to an opinion, i just wanted to mock your question about the metro, arguement, and indeed mockery, is not censorship.

i think there is some similar point to be made about skyscrapers etc, i lived for a while in new york, which of course has a fantastic skyline, along with all the other good things, and, of course, part of the reason for that is that there are lots of people who are very critical of every proposal, along with a lot of proposals, out of the mediation of extremes comes excellence. The other important thing is that for geological reasons there are only two areas in nyc with high rise, it will be three in the future, and they are all grouped together and land in the high rise zones is much fought over. Just wanting to build skysrapers to make some point is a disaster, equally well, capping the height in the ddda area is foolish when there is no cogent planning or architecture reason to do so.

As for the area of Dublin Port with numbered streets, that is the actual port where ships come in and are unloaded.

Look how wonderful Eastern European capitals are, like Talun in Estonia etc, with their fairytale-like skylines, pierced only by spires, steeples & domes.

In my opinion Dublin should stay low-rise except for way way away in the docklands.
The perfect opportunity to restore the skyline of the city centre to down low by the demolition of Hawkins House was unfortuately lost by tthe Dept of Healths insistance of mere refurbishment of the building.

Urban sprawl is always spouted as a reason for high rise in all of Dublin city, this is just silly, the docklands is more than capable of dealing with the increased demand for housing by going upwards.

Indeed the docklands needs high rise in order to counter-balance the width of the Liffey in this area.

1st September 2003

Thought I’d awaken this thread wondering if anyone saw the woeful state of Liberty Hall on the 9 0’Clock News last night.
A reinactment of Larkin’s speech to the masses was played out yesterday outside the building, and the setting for the speech was a shambles of a building.
In one close-up shot of the actor playing him, behind loomed a shattered mirror glass window on the first or second floor, covered over with a sheet of hardboard (and its been like this for months because I pass it regularly)
Other shots included dirty, peeling, over-painted mosaic cladding and dirty grilles of air-conditioning units.

I know everyone on this site is well aware of the terrible state of Dublin’s landmark tall building and have complained at length about it before, but the news last night really brought it home, not least home to 500,000 viewers around the country as well.

SIPTU should be ashamed of themselves, being in posession of not only a prominent structure but a building that is an icon of the city.

If that’s the way they maintain their HQ one can only imagine how they maintain their role as a union.

By comparison, the completely empty O’Connell Bridge House is kept in immaculate condition – the last window I noticed broken on it was repaired (with identical glass, no less – SIPTU take note) within two days. Who owns this other landmark building?

John Byrne I think still owns it – the infamous property developer and Haughey ‘inner circler’ who built it in 63-65.

According to RTÉ, SIPTU’s national executive recently approved recommendations to knock down Liberty Hall and redevelop it. Apparently, they are now in negotiations with DCC with regard to these plans.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/1019/siptu.html

@adhoc wrote:

According to RTÉ, SIPTU’s national executive recently approved recommendations to knock down Liberty Hall and redevelop it. Apparently, they are now in negotiations with DCC with regard to these plans.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/1019/siptu.html

Plans have been in train for several years regarding this

I think this is terrible news. I know that from siptu’s point of view it makes sense but this is an iconic building for Dublin. It should be listed not demolished.

I would like to see it restored. Maybe a cafe-bar on the top two floors aswell, so the public could enjoy the views. Well they still have to get through planning before its gone.

Definately should be listed when you consider that locally it’s quite iconic. It’s looking run down these days even after a recent face lift, could do with a makeover. It’s great that the most Soviet looking landmark in Dublin happens to be occupied by the country’s largest trade union.

Yes it’s very disappointing news – the worst possible outcome really. There’s a lot of wriggle room on site to increase density without affecting the tower. Also the basement of the complex, itself a fascinating 1960s timewarp, could be redeveloped.

It’s notable that a national executive decided on this. Obviously either way a committee was going to make a decision in the interests of the union, but it is a uniquely Dublin landmark they’re meddling with.

iconic maybe. But that is not enough of reason to keep . It is really ugly. and it takes away from the custom house . tear it down.

@a boyle wrote:

iconic maybe. But that is not enough of reason to keep . It is really ugly. and it takes away from the custom house . tear it down.

when you say it takes away form the ch, you mean having a tall building here takes away from the ch, presumably that isn’t going to change, persumably they will only tear down liberty hall if they can replace it with something as tall.

i think this is a real shame, the building is pooly maintained, but not ugly, as well as being iconic and interesting, i think its a fine building and it would be even finer if the glass was restored.

It ‘s really annoying to see Belfast a city one third the size of dublin building taller buildings, residential and commercilal. Just today I saw apartment blocks 15 stories high for sale in Belfast. this is the height that all the ugly 8 floor buildings should be around Grand canal docka and accross the water around the point. It’s a waste of space. Up Up.:mad:

i don’t find liberty hall ugly at all, its quite well proportioned & would look pretty good with its original glazing or similar installed.

I’d be sad to see it go, its part of Dublin …. refurb with translucent glazing i say !

I’m not sure what to think about this. I’d be all in favour of a facelift but if it does get knocked, its wacky, oriental roof will be sorely missed. 🙁

Here’s a merged together pic of Dublin’s skyline. As you can see, the demoliton of Liberty hall would be a great loss to our familiar and drab skyline.

It also forms a nice gateway on the Liffey with O’Connell Bridge House.

The all too familiar postcard picture.

It’s quite dominating when shot from certain angles with a telephoto

Relecting off the Liffey at sundown

It’s quite a nasty piece of work up close however. No better than the other 60s crap that plagues the city,

The view from O’Connell Bridge on a winter’s evening

Pull it down! And build something nicer.

It is really ugly.

I don’t agree. Its high (no pun intended) profile has made it the building people love to say they hate without actually criticising the characteristics of the building. It’s quite slender and “light” – unlike what is undoubtadly being planned for it’s replacement – probably a squat bulky po-mo 7 story (with one of the stories “set back” or disguised as a mansard like roof) with four times the floor area. The wavy roof is iconic and echos Busaras. Its height actually complements the Custom House (see Morlan’s third picture) – its slender height contrasts with and emphasises the horizontal dominance of the custom house of that section of the Liffey. It helpfully detracts from the loop line bridge and its height helps reinforce the line of the river which is broken by the curved bridge. Besides the roof it has a simple design which is “modern” without being brutalist unlike most of the rest of the 60s office stock around that part of town.

The building is an icon of Dublin – particularly when it was younger. It is far superior to Georges Plaza which has supplanted it in that role. It deserves a proper makeover not demolition.

The guys who work in it hate the place, regardless of its asthetic value or an icon of Dublin.

i like liberty hall too. i’d be sad to see it go.

Everyone I know including myself hates the look of it. I don’t think people mind the height. We should be well use to that by now. However knocking it down isn’t the right thing to do.

I’ve always been a fan of buildings that are completely covered by mirror glass. These buildings tend to have a less visual impact on the skyline. I would love to see Liberty hall completely covered top to bottom my mirror glass (not stained), with the joining between each glass pane kept to a minimum, which is key. And because it is out on its own, all it will reflect is the colour of the Sky and this will help the building blend in to the skyline . So if the sky is grey, then the building is grey. If the sky is blue, then the building is blue.

That’s a good point. Frank McDonald’s infamous 1984 critical observations on the mirrored glass have generally entered the collective consciousness at this stage, and he did have a point regarding the elegant transparency of old.
But the mirrored glass also has a quality in itself in how it reflects the sky, and in particular when in late afternoon, especially winter, the bright sun spectaularly catches on the southern and western elevations, lighting up the city. It looks even better against the black sky we so often get for half the year. A magnificent view observed from the quays, and Millenium and Ha’penny bridges.

It’s a toss-up really – the mirrored glass looks crap up close, but great from a distance.
Ad of course staff hate working in the place The Denouncer – who would want to work in an office space that hasn’t been tocuhed for forty years. The whole point of the tower retention option is that it would be completely refurbished.

Thought ye’d like this. Love the music 🙂

http://youtube.com/watch?v=FmBRi_r1D7o (video)

@Morlan wrote:

Thought ye’d like this. Love the music 🙂

http://youtube.com/watch?v=FmBRi_r1D7o (video)

thanks for that morlan, im homesick now:)

From today’s Irish Idependent:

DUBLINERS will get a last chance to visit Liberty Hall’s viewing platform today and Sunday before the landmark building is demolished next year.

To enjoy the “spectacular panorama” of the city it provides, the public can call between 10.30am and 2.30pm to view Dublin from the city’s tallest building.

SIPTU plan to redevelop the 41-year-old building, the city’s tallest for four decades. The union is seeking commercial partners to redevelop the valuable, central Dublin site.

heheh – apparently there was 500 people queuing outside the building at 10 o’clock this morning 😀

Siptu are extremely niave if they feel that they will maximise value and be on site next year given the sensitive nature of this site. Prediction Paul will host the first Archiseek party on the roof in early 2008 😀

There’s not a lot of roofspace for a party on the existing Liberty Hall 😉

The pictures put up by Morlan are the case for the retention of liberty hall in its present style. I accept that the building has broken and mismatched and generally uneven windows which detract from the general aesthetic of the building, but the central point cannot be avoided that a fundamental refurbishment of the existing structure is far more desirable to the wholesale destruction of the current construction.

To all of you who seek the Hall’s destruction I challenge you to come up with something better, something more in keeping with the area around.I challenge you because the likely successor to this building is some stumpy 8-9 storey creation which in the long-run will cause more damage to the surrounding area. This is because will not have the same tall/slim, short/fat contrast with the Custom House, it will not provide a focus for the eye as one looks from the sky down the Liffey, it will not be any Architectural case-books or grace the web-pages of landmark-focused sites and will not have the same quality of a landmark tower in our city.

this is the likely scenario as many developers seem more keen on building any sort of edifice these days simply to make more money instead of creating a genuinely unique and good-quality building. A whole plethora of things could be done with the Hall: street cafés, viewing galleries, a twin tower on the site to the west, a restauraunt at the top, changing colour lights at the top for seasonal celebrations, placement of sculptural pieces on the side foot and top of the building or a roof garden for the enjoyment of workers on a break or for visitors from other parts of the city and country.

On that point on the fact that workers are demoralised with the current building and the limitations, drabness and general dullness of the current edifice, surely a revamp would be better than a complete destruction of the existing building. Dealing with a few months of electricians, plumbers, plasteres and painters for a few months working on a floor-by-floor basis or a few years waiting for a completely new site to be found, bought, rezoned, built and fitted out, I’d pick the first option if I worked in Liberty Hall.

I’m definately going to write to Siptu about this. I don’t want to see it go.

People on these forums get too nostaligiac about buildings like this..Liberty Hall is a piece of crap, and the Spire too. And time for Busarus to go aswell.

@The Denouncer wrote:

People on these forums get too nostaligiac about buildings like this..Liberty Hall is a piece of crap, and the Spire too. And time for Busarus to go aswell.

Tell me how Liberty Hall is ‘a piece of crap’? I’ve laid out a structural case for its retention and you seem only capable of issuing expletives without any basis of logic or reason.

How can you get nostalgic(that’s how it’s spelled) about the Spire, its only 3 years old and as a matter of fact is’nt even related to this thread topic about Liberty Hall.

The same goes for Busáras, whatever about its architectural merits, the subject of this thread is Liberty Hall.

Get off your high horse, Cathal. :rolleyes: Nostalgia and rose tinted spectacles are a featured in a lot of these threads. I mentioned the Spire and Busarus in a thread about Liberty Hall, big deal! The world is going to end! 😮

Pull them down. Especially Liberty Hall.

Busaras is a Protected Structure.

What’s wrong with just simply refurbishing Liberty Hall? We’ve done it before with other ugly looking buildings around the city and they now look modern and clean.

I guarantee you that if it is pulled down, the new building will be at least 50% higher and will probably stick out even more than what’s there.

I doubt they could building higher than 16 floors and it would probably have to be slender – not worth their while. They would probably opt for a bulky 8 story building taking up the whole footprint of the site. 🙁

That would be my worry too.
A private company would go higher and better.
A union?? Eh I don’t think we’ll see the height we have now. again

Get off your high horse, Cathal. Nostalgia and rose tinted spectacles are a featured in a lot of these threads.

No part of his defense of Liberty Hall was nostalgic; he defended the building purely on aesthetics and context without any reference to the past, so this is an unfounded accusation. At least he gave reasons for his position. Resoponding to his reasoned points with a dismissive “it’s crap!” is pretty rude and it’s hardly climbing on a high horse to point this out. If you want to convince anyone that it’s “crap”, then you should at least give some reasons.

The Denouncer: People on these forums get too nostaligiac about buildings like this..

I think this is true to a degree but at the same time it’s a very utilitarian view to dismiss such opinions as exclusively nostalgic. It ignores the point that Liberty Hall is very much part of the visual identity of the city, like it or loath it – it happens to be one of the landmarks that is most recognisable and which has appeared consistently in visual cultural references to Dublin.

At risk of sounding even more sentimental about the whole thing you could say that it is a snapshot of the country – the self-image, hopes and aspirations therein – at a particular time in modern Irish history. No one would suggest we tear down the GPO on O’Connell Street because its exterior is pockmarked with bullet holes or that it’s looking out of date in contrast to contempory style.

I agree, a recladding would be better (and probably cheaper) than building a new building.
I like the overall shape, as well as the wavy roof. It’s the cladding that’s ugly.

@Blisterman wrote:

recladding would be better (and probably cheaper)

It would be cheaper but it wouldn’t solve the problem of lack of space inside the tower – that’s why they’re going to pull it.

@Blisterman wrote:

I agree, a recladding would be better (and probably cheaper) than building a new building.
I like the overall shape, as well as the wavy roof. It’s the cladding that’s ugly.

Talk of recladding has got me thinking. What do people propose to change the exterior of Liberty Hall to? Terracotta? Steel? Limestone? I thought some sort of reddish clad could suit the place considering who owns it.

Exactly what I was thinking, it should be reclad. What’ll replace it will probably just be another groundscraper.

According to Shane Ross in today’s sindo the demise of Liberty Hall is imminent.

Is this correct?

Yes, although the theatre will still be in use until next Dec so it is unlikely that any plans will have been finalised by then. The design is more or less agreed but no planning has been submitted.