O’ Connell Street, Dublin

The hoardings look like they’re holding half of it up! It’s surprising how many sections are left alright – good to see action happening with them.

Just on Larkin again – thought of the traffic island explanation too, but all the Victorians were at the time were islands as well, if not even more isolated, but they got them centred!

On the Upper O’ Cll St proposal, the sweep of trees on the north-western side is going to look fanastic, but the eastern side is reduced to nothing with the parking bay of the Gresham and the bus stop further south breaking the tree line by a substantial 6 units. Don’t know what could be done to resolve this but the effect is going to be hugely reduced.
And the taxi rank appears to be staying, with another treeless space on the median. I really don’t think this cluster planting of the trees on the median works at all, it is inappropriate – directly opposing if not completely dissolving the linear nature of the median, its most appealing feature, and a feature that defines the very nature of O’ Connell Street. Everyone in Ireland knows the O’ Cll St median, every child in the country knows about and is impressed by the people of the past represented here and the general important nature of it, not least its scale, stretching as far as the eye can see. I think this grand impressive scale should have been reinforced with tree planting. Now it appears the regular marching boulevard look is dead and buried. What a crying shame. For me, this was always the most exciting aspect of the whole scheme.

Perhaps it will turn out better than it looks on paper, and one should reserve judgement till finished, but if the trees either on the median or just on the pavements had regularity, that would be enough, but for the continuity of both to be continually hacked at as they progress up the street I find unacceptable.

It would be really great if the O’ Cll Monument lanterns were reinstated, even if there’s no room now for the railings. They had fairly short shafts but had classic big, almost awkward lamps atop, lightly lop-sided of course.
I always thought the ‘waxy’ appearance of the lower stone step was as a result of people sitting on it for the past 20 years rather than cleaning, the same with Fr Matthew – not that you’d sit on it now, not even going to mention what gets stuck to your pants or hands from it…
The monument restoration phase looks very comprehensive and is welcome. At least whenever the CC gets round to do these things, or its contractors, they’re usually excellent jobs.

Does the entire shopfront not have pp?

The new Savoy sign is really awful, the contrast with the distinguished upper floors is cruel – it sticks out like big lump, tacked onto the front of the building. The large expanse of silver cladding, Connolly Station style, makes the overhang even more clunky than it was, and the use of this modern material certainly does not create the effect it intends – to contrast the old facade with sleek contemporary design. Rather it makes the overall appearance worse; at least the old unit was blatently dilapidated, itching with potential. This yoke is just second-rate, for everyone to appreciate for aother 20 years.
Saying that, the doors etc look well, as do the electronic displays.

The new single-width paving J Seerski mentioned before at the Abbey St junction is thankfully just a temporary measure to accommodate the ped crossing. Work is now underway on creating the double-width side pavements on Lower O’Cll St as planned and there’s no doubt they are going to radically alter this stretch, for the better. Railings are lined along what will be the new kerb line and the huge expanse created in this congested area is very impressive and exciting.
One thing I thought about McDonalds here is that while they cannot be forced out of this fast-food belt, indeed not that it would even be preferable, but what could be possible is the opening of a ‘McCafe’ here, like Grafton St, which would help in lessing its negative impact on this stretch, and in fact it could improve it by creating an outside seated area for coffee drinkers.
As to the demand for it here I don’t know – not too many suits around.

They must be off for a cleaning – they need it. Sitting on a wall for 80 years does no one any favours. They are lovely though, very grand & Edwardian. They are listed as part of the building as a whole.