O’ Connell Street, Dublin
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Think that was referring to the median which is apparently being mildly tapered to account for the width of O’Cll Monument.
The side pavement is also being lightly curved along its length.Is the hotel no 41? Is it expected that the makeover will take place under new ownership?
How exciting that the all the plaza limes are being fitted with new Christmas lights – they’re those new tiny little LEDs-type ones with black wires. It seems they’re being lined along the edges of the trees to highlight their square profiles.
Irritatingly though the plaza wasn’t hardwired for tree lights as one would have expected, so as we speak black wires are being draped down from the GPO… Not too noticable though.Thanks for the info… this site is an excellent resource to keep in touch with develpoments at home. I’m really looking forward to seeing in person developments on the street over Christmas….. Glad to see the trees have been generating some comments too!
This is the text of an Irish Times article in June of this year with details of the plans for RDH. An earlier article said the hotel had been acquired from the Fitzwilliam group by Park PLaza and was to become a 4 star hotel known as something like the Royal Park Plaza..
€8m revamp for Georgian townhouse
Refurbishment
Edel MorganThe Royal Dublin Hotel is to undertake the €8 million restoration of the last surviving Georgian townhouse on Upper O’Connell Street which it will eventually lease or dispose of as an office complex or corporate headquarters.
To make it suitable for modern office requirements, Number 42 will be separated from the hotel – it’s ground floor has been in use as part of the hotel foyer – and a glazed link to its rear will connect it to a third generation office block which, remarkably, will encase another historic protected building, O’Connell Hall.
Built in the mid 18th century, the four-storey over basement townhouse is the last surviving example, on what was originally a residential street, of the original Sackville Mall Mansion.
All of the other houses where either destroyed during the 1916 Rising or demolished in the 1960s, some to make way for the purpose-built Royal Dublin Hotel. The Fitzwilliam Group, which acquired the Royal Dublin in the early 1990s, has also secured planning permission from Dublin City Council for a €14 million revamp of the hotel which will get a new facade, the existing one being regarded as somewhat of an eyesore.
The group purchased the adjoining Aer Lingus ticket office two years ago for an estimated €1.9 million and Number 71 Parnell Square will be razed and replaced by a four-storey bedroom wing and ground floor retail unit. Another 24-bedroom wing over the hotel will front Moore Street and the fifth floor will be extended to give seven bedrooms.
It is envisaged the townhouse will principally act as a grand reception area for the office complex with board rooms and some office space and an assortment of buildings to the rear will be demolished to make way for a courtyard and a link to the 18,000 sq m (193,750 sq ft) five-storey block fronting Moore Lane.
The futuristic building will have a glass tube lift overlooking the courtyard. O’Connell Hall will be visible through the transparent skin of the building and will be enclosed in a double height floor.
It is believed the ornate Victorian assembly hall featuring gilded capitals was built by either the Irish Farmers Club or the Catholic Commercial Club somewhere between 1860 and 1880. The Fitzwilliam group has appointed agents Richard Ellis Gunne and Finnegan Menton to handle the sale/letting of the building. Number 42, which seems to have had nine lives, was reputedly hit by three shells during the 1916 Rising, was occupied during the civil war and went on to survive the 1960s cull. In recent years it has been languishing “in a state of advanced disrepair” according to a planning report.
Richard McLoughlin of Blackwood Associates conservation architects, who is involved in the project designed by Ashlin Coleman Heelan architects, says the lower floors of the townhouse are the most architecturally interesting. Designed by eminent 18th century architect Richard Castle, the high ceilings of the first floor salon are similar to those of houses on Henrietta Street and it features magnificent stucco work by Robert West, who worked on Leinster House, Carton House and Powerscourt House.
As it stands, the plasterwork on the first floor has been overpainted in a profusion of greens and gilts and will be painted white to highlight its fine detail. “For the moment, emergency work to the roof is keeping water out and the upper floors have in effect protected the lower ones,” says McLoughlin.
The townhouse will have complete independence from the hotel which will allow it to be appreciated in its full glory, says Albert Noonan, project architect of Ashlin Coleman Heelan. In recent decades it has been entered from the hotel “which means you don’t experience the full impact. You were never meant to enter those rooms from the side.”
The original grand staircase will be restored and extended to the basement where a nightclub was partially-built some years ago which will be removed. The restoration of the townhouse and upgrading of the hotel will form an important part of the rejuvenation of Upper O’Connell Street, where the redevelopment of the nearby Carlton Hotel has experienced a series of delays.
O’Connell Street trees
Olivia KellyThe last 10 mature trees on O’Connell Street, Dublin, are almost certain to face destruction following a dramatic U-turn in public support for their preservation.
The results of the public consultation process, yet to be published, on the redevelopment of the street found a majority were in favour of the council’s plans to remove the trees, The Irish Times has learned.
This represents a marked change in public opinion from when the council began felling the London Plane trees, some more than 100-years-old, in November 2002.
Numerous representations were made to the council and public representatives demanding their retention. A number of Green Party TDs chained themselves to the trees in an attempt to stop the felling.
The council agreed to continue the first phase of the street improvement works without destroying any more trees, leaving 10 trees remaining at the northern end of the street.
While a number of city councillors, including the Lord Mayor, Mr Michael Conaghan have spoken against the council’s plans, public opinion seems to support the views of city management.
“The results of the public consultation would indicate that a majority, an healthy majority, are in favour of the new O’Connell Street plans,” the area manager for the project, Mr Paul Maloney, said.
Mr Maloney said he could not give exact details of the percentage in favour of the new plans, or the exact number of submissions to the public consultation process because the information had not yet been furnished to the councillors.
He said the city management was “extremely pleased” with the public’s response. The change in attitude was in part due to the positive reaction to the first phase of the redevelopment at the southern half the street and outside the GPO, he said.
By the time the improvement works are completed, the number of trees on the street will have risen from 62 to 156.
However, Mr Mooney stressed: “The removal of the trees would be the left to the very last stage, probably around February 2006, so there’s no need to make a decision on it yet. Nobody will be allowed to touch them until then.”
Interestingly even out of the ten trees left up there, not even all of these are ‘original’ – as far as I can make out 7 of them are the older ones, with three specimens planted later (although still old) in between the 1900-03 ones.
@Graham Hickey wrote:
Interestingly even out of the ten trees left up there, not even all of these are ‘original’ – as far as I can make out 7 of them are the older ones, with three specimens planted later (although still old) in between the 1900-03 ones.
I hope that they are removed and replanted to the Croppies Acre where all the visitors to the Early 20th Century History section of the National Museum can admire these ‘Witnesses to History’
I think that the visionary investment in the Gresham Hotel deserves an unimpeded flaunting
Gas to think too that these wise and age old trees that bear witness to Irish history were only mere saplings in 1916. Cut them down and chop ’em up….Sure they’ll go towards warming the needy on these cold winters nights. Is’nt that right Ciaran Cuffe and Co…publicity stuntmen, politicians and mentalists masquerading as environmentalists.
New trees being put in on the median between Abbey and the Bridge today. This stretch should have been completed by now. Its good to see the City council winning the publicity battle over the remaining 10 now that the public have had a chance to see just how good the street will look. I think its vital for the street that replanting be allowed all along its length.
I agree as wll about hardwiring for the Christmas lights on the plaza. What a lack of foresight. I think they should have gotten Disney in to do the decorations though!
Also another premisies on the street is undergoing ronvations. The snooker hall, beside the Royal Dublin. Cant remember its name now they have taken down the sign. Anyway the owners have taken away all its 1930s style lighting…which is rather a shame i think.
Despite the wonky wiring and the non lighting of the 4 trees on the median, but is’nt the plaza in front of the GPO looking really well with the Christmas tree, the crib, the lights, the Spire, etc…..What a great difference to past years!
It is looking great, there’s no doubt about that – just thinking back to the cracked concrete slabbed median with scrawny trees dotted about in front of the GPO, the difference is remarkable.
Is it Ned Kelly’s Stephen with the globed lamp standards outside? Always liked these.
Agreed about the median being finished by now – it should have been completed in time to help alleviate the pressures on the currently dug up side pavement.
The first of the new paving is going down now outside Burger King – as always the stone looks fantastic.The lime lights (excuse the pun) aren’t quite as spectacular as expected to say the least, and the limes in the middle of the street on the median having no lights at all because of the wiring issue is a clumsy error.
The CC Lighting Dept should learn from Eircom, if anyone’s seen the Ardilaun Centre recently 🙂Just to quickly drag up the corner building with Bachelor’s Walk again – the tripartite window on the first floor is an original WSC feature. I was trying to fnd out a bit more about this development and it turns out this Wyatt-like window was a feature used to terminate all of the WSC ‘blocks’ on O’Cll St – and sure enough looking at various photographs, they can be seen at every corner facing into the street. They have flat pediments with elegant classical corbels supporting them at the ends and on the mullions dividing the windows into three.
Similar features were to be used on Dame Street.And not only that, the second floor window directly above the tripartites on every corner has a little flat pediment to further terminate the simple ‘palace’ facade nature of the blocks. It would also appear that facing the river, the third window from the corner (the central one), on the first floor on both quays also has a little flat pediment to match those of the corners.
Just interesting I think, I often assumed the Sackville Mall development was even plainer than the streets south of the river – although it was from the perspective that none of the other windows had any stone dressings at all.The first-floor tripartite window to mark the ends of those 5-storey Lr. O’C. St. WSC’s blocks was a nice touch – very subtle, very less-is-more.
I presume the architraves were in granite, like the ones on the first floors of most of the surviving D’Olier/Westm. originals. I wonder if the granite architrave – or some of it – survives underneath the cement rendering on that window at the Bachelor’s Wlk/O’C St. cnr? (probably not)
Was wondering this – it probably would have been easier to knock em off with a big hammer than try rendering over, esp with the corbels.
Presumably they were granite, suffice to say in the Victorian photos they’re painted white. so it’s impossible to tell from these anyway.Here’s a quick pic compliation showing the windows on the corner with Eden Quay – I have a detailed pic of the Clarks corner window before 1916 but it’s in a book and I can’t transfer.
It’s interesting too to note the later impact of the Bread Co building on the terrace – (apologies for resolution)The Dublin Bread Company building must be the most bizarre building ever seen in Ireland, I had never seen it in comparison with what was there before and I’d have to say I still like it for its sheer brass neck.
@Diaspora wrote:
The Dublin Bread Company building must be the most bizarre building ever seen in Ireland, I had never seen it in comparison with what was there before and I’d have to say I still like it for its sheer brass neck.
Never get built today – An Taisce would complain due to its bulk and being out of place on a Georgian Street 😉
It’s interesting in the 1890s photo the way you can see that, after about 100 years, the whole WSC’s block between Eden Quay and Lr. Abbey St. had had no alterations or demolitions, only minor decorations added.
Then came the Bread Company…….And even those frills were only added after the WSC broke up and the Corporation took over. Wonder how the WSC would have coped with the ousting of classicism from favour if they had stayed together. Would they have allowed more uniform window additions or wholescale demolitions of terraces?
Some of the later pedimants etc are quite attractive, esp the scroll-like ones. Whatever about these additions, the rendering of the odd facade was totally inappropriate – the Bread Bldg kocked one down for its sins 🙂The Bread Co building surely must have been the tallest building ever built in Dublin till the 60s, excluding churches and domes.
The Bread company took two out actually. But it’s a good question; was there anybody to protest when those two were demolished & the Bread Co. began to go up? Was there anybody to say ‘this is an intact block of symmetrical, classically-proportioned street-architecture of 100 hundred years & deserves protection from demolitions & inappropriate new buildings’?
It’s surprising, considering the classical look came back into fashion just as the Bread Bldg went up. Suppose the Edwardians wanted new and shiny Georgiana – just like today really 🙂 Thank goodness they hadn’t discovered plastic yet 😀
I know the Bread was two-plot demoltion – now a single-width 8 storey building, that would be worth seeing!
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