Potato Market
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Potato Market Area Development ~ Proposal
Architects: Murray O’Laoire
Client: Limerick Market Trustees
Proposed development of a mixed use civic space, incorporating building(s) of appropriate scale, form and location so as to enhance the areas existing qualities. Central to the development is its sympathetic integration into the urban, historic and natural context of the site.
The development comprises of a slender, linear building running East to West with a generous Plaza to the North and a more intimate space to the South enclosed on the water’s edge by two smaller buildings.
The existing open space on Merchant’s Quay will be landscaped as a civic amenity, integrating a new sculpture as its central focus. Provision will be made for some car and bus parking, if required, but this will be sub-ordinate to the overall quality of the urban space with an emphasis on pedestrians and enjoyment/ relaxation.
The buildings will be 3-storey in height, complementary to the scale of the Court House. The gateway building at Matthew Bridge will be taller to create the gateway effect.
The development is intended to incorporate a mixture of commercial, residential and retail units. The use of stone, timber and glass in various proportions will be contemporary, while being sympathetic to the historic surroundings and existing scale and proportion of St. Mary’s Cathedral, the County Court House and the Civic Offices.
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Potato Market ~ Conservation 1987
Architects: Murray O’Laoire
Client: Limerick Civic Trust
The brief called for the development of stalls for a Craft Market, the refurbishment of the original Potato Market site and the creation of a new performance space on the edge of the River Abbey on the Historic Kings Island quarter of Limerick City.
The works included the repair and reinstatement of the original quay walls and boundary railings with external works including paving of landscaping and the development of a new linear market building structure.
A new pedestrian bridge links the site with the Hunt Museum Park on the opposite river bank creating a vital link in extending the Limerick City Walk from King Johns Castle to the Limerick Docklands.
See also thread: Limerick Civic Trust
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Does this have anything to do with that development plan which called for knocking Arthur’s Quay etc and building streets that line up with St. Mary’s Cathedral? Or is that not happening now?
The stuff on pages 44 and 52 of this document: http://www.limerick.ie/Publications/Thefile,8018,en.pdf
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The Murray O’Laoire / Limerick Market Trustees proposal is on their web site since at least February 2007, alas the details were not accessible due to a wrong link. This is only recently rectified.
See previous posts from February 2007 (1001, 1012, 1013, 1015, 1016).
Medieval Quarter (Limerick Centre Strategy 2008)
Site A – Potato Market and Boat Club, Merchants Quay
The site is currently used as a car park and Boat Club. It is located across the Abbey River from the proposed Arthurs Quay development area. It is a key site in the context of linking the Central Core to the Medieval Quarter. The site is adjacent to City Hall, King John’s Castle, and Castle Lane Museum in a high tourist interest area.
It is two minutes walk to the City Centre and all amenities and services.
The site measures 0.304 ha (0.751 acres) with views of the Shannon Riverside and Marina. It is proposed to develop a new plaza area on the site incorporating the current plaza in front of City Hall.
The site also offers the potential for the development of a mixed use building at the Matthew Bridge end of the site. Views of the river can be created by the opening up of the river side of the site.
The proposed riverside walk will be situated on part of the site.
Action: Progress development of site in conjunction with Limerick Market Trustees and Curragower Boat Club to propose the creation of an iconic building, possibly incorporating arts, a riverside centre for watersports, and cultural facilities.
Personally I would prefer a simple open green park space that would compliment the Custom House Quay Park on the other side of the Abbey River.
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@CologneMike wrote:
Personally I would prefer a simple open green park space that would compliment the Custom House Quay Park on the other side of the Abbey River.
It deserves to be more than a surface car park, that’s for sure.
I don’t like the idea of an iconic ”gateway” building here. The Potato Market occupies the site of the medieval harbour, they could do worse than excavate and conserve the remains of the harbour which are likely to be quite substantial and probably include the bases of both of the circular towers shown in these early views, and the slip-way in between.
A detail of the sixteenth century map of Limerick showing the medieval harbour with Baal’s bridge in the background.
The harbour as drawn by Philips in 1688 retained it’s medieval appearance
This map of 1760 shows the harbour still substantially intact with both circular towers still rising from the waters edge. -
Mitchell and Associates also carried out work for the City Council here and proposed changes to the Potato Market area. Interestingly to see their ideas back then for the new weir (Abbey Navigation Works).
King’s Island Integrated Action Plan
This project involved the preparation of a detailed plan for the conservation/development of King’s Island, an historic precinct of Limerick City. The plan proposed detailed urban interventions for the area, including development proposals for backland areas, derelict lands and riverfront sites.
The catalyst for the reworking of King’s Island was the insertion of a major link road, connecting the Dublin Road corridor to the Ennis Road. The insertion of this element created a number of new development opportunities, but also allowed for the insertion of traffic calming and pedestrianisation schemes in areas of King’s Island where traffic volume was reduced.
A major component of the study was to provide for the opening up of the Abbey River for navigation purposes, together with the provision of marina facilities and the upgrading of the riverfront walks. This initiation has now been implemented, together with traffic calming in the King John’s Castle area on the west side of the Island.
The Curragour Boat Club has great potential here as it could launch boats on either side of the weir (Shannon / Abbey). Gunter, a low two-three storey round club house like what Mitchell proposed below would denote the site of the medieval circular tower. Obviously a restaurant / café on top would give it great views of the river.
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No immediate plans for Potato Market (Limerick Independent)
by Rachael Finucane
THERE are no immediate plans to develop the Potato Market, according to the chairman of the Limerick Market Trustees after a city councillor called for the historic area to be “changed†for the better, John Gilligan—who sits on the market trustees board—said that he thinks “we should take the wall around the entire Potato Market down and the stone pillars could be incorporated into some kind of feature on the site. The Vikings landed in that area and we don’t have a monument or anything to mark thatâ€. He added that he would like to see “a plaza†on the site in front of City Hall and hopes to discuss it with the market trustees. Cllr Maurice Quinlivan agreed with his colleague and said that he does “not believe it should be a listed structureâ€.
David O’Mahony said that the group is going to appeal any move by the city council to make any part of the Potato Market a protected structure as part of the City Development Plan process but emphasised that this is not for any specific purpose. “If the Potato Market was a listed structure, it could affect future development of it. The option is always there. It has been looked at over the last 20 years in a number of different ways but there has been no concrete development plan attached to it for 10 or 15 years.
That doesn’t mean to say that once the Milk Market development is finished that the focus wouldn’t be on the only other remaining site owned by the market trustees.: He added that the Milk Market redevelopment is “going very well†and it is hoped that it will be open by early summer.
John Gilligan . . . . . The Vikings landed in that area and we don’t have a monument or anything to mark that . . . . . .
@gunter wrote:
It deserves to be more than a surface car park, that’s for sure.
Hmmmm . . . . . I suppose we could give all the owners of Viking-made cars (Volvo, Saab) a parking discount instead. 😉
David O’Mahony . . . . . . but there has been no concrete development plan attached to it for 10 or 15 years.
The proposals posted on this thread would suggest otherwise! :confused:
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@CologneMike wrote:
No immediate plans for Potato Market (Limerick Independent)
Cllr Maurice Quinlivan agreed with his colleague and said that he does “not believe it should be a listed structure”.
This is in reference to the Dept. of EHLG recommendation that the Potato Market be added to the Record of Protected Structures.
See page 223 of the Limerick City Draft Development Plan 2010- 2016.
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@gunter wrote:
It deserves to be more than a surface car park, that’s for sure.
I don’t like the idea of an iconic ”gateway” building here. The Potato Market occupies the site of the medieval harbour, they could do worse than excavate and conserve the remains of the harbour which are likely to be quite substantial and probably include the bases of both of the circular towers shown in these early views, and the slip-way in between.
A detail of the sixteenth century map of Limerick showing the medieval harbour with Baal’s bridge in the background.
The harbour as drawn by Philips in 1688 retained it’s medieval appearance
This map of 1760 shows the harbour still substantially intact with both circular towers still rising from the waters edge.Re-creating the medieval harbour is imho the best idea Ive read on here – this area could become a real focus for locals and tourists alike. Once the courthouse has moved to Mulgrave st the building could be reused as a new city theatre..
…… this isnt ever going to happen is it?… -
Curraghower Boat Club are certainly not going to llike those plans.
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another thing … councillors professing to be architectural experts is a bit rich, is it not? I’m not opposed to something being done with the potato market. After all, it is a poorly utilised space. But I don’t have much confidence in MOLA to be honest. Their plan above is all wrong.
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