Thomas Street & James Street, Dublin!

All comes back to a comment made by Tom Phillips at the Smithfield enquiry in 2000.

“developers have no problem making development contributions once the sums are spent for the improvement of the immediate area or specific purpose the contribution is levied under”

Given the amount of development contributions paid out in this area over the past decade it should not look the way it does.

As for the retailers I am sorry to see Gilna’s go they were very good on the one occaision I used them but Frawley’s really isn’t any loss. This area needs to go the way of Camden Street as it will never be a Capel or George’s Street again.

It (the brewery) going to Balbriggan they’d never afford Sandyfor prices

My mother (age 80) loved Frawley’s! It was very popular with her age group. Also Guiney’s (Talbot St). Not everything has to be aimed at the young and trendy……….

@GregF wrote:

Anyone see the ever derepit run down state of Thomas Street and James Street, Dublin. I’ve mentioned this here time and time again over the years and there is still no improvement with these potentially fine streets.. What a great historical area, with such fine landmarks as St Augustine and St John’s Church, St Catherine’s Church (where they hung Robert Emmet), the great Guinness brewery, the NCAD, St James Hospital etc….This vein also attarcts thousands of visiters each year as the tourists make their trek to Guinness’s.
Over the years shops that were icons to the area have closed, ie Fitzgeralds jeans shop (where Christy Moore bought an odd pair of dungarees ) and the latest victim to suffer Frawleys. Gilnas, the opticians, are the only shop on this block now. What is going on here? There is nothing but closed shops. Is there a protection racket in the area, I wonder? The shops that remain are kinda huckstery and tawdry. Come on Dublin City Council, make an effort and give this area of the city the attention it deserves. There have been great improvements with North King Street with the HARP project over the years, why not do the same here. It is disgracful really to see the condition of this prime inner capital city area in such a run down state especially in Celtic Tiger Ireland. You can se the look of bewilderment too on the tourist faces.

this area has such huge potential. I was driving there last night and there are so may jems like St Catherines etc. The area has a pre celtic tiger feel and thankfully there is a lot of the orginal stock down there.
However the the greatest hinderence is the complete lack of resolve to deal with the unsocialable elements in this area. While sitting at traffic lights I watched one junkie urinate throught the door of an undertakers of all places. Two other junkies kicking forty colours of shite out of each other on the other side of the street.

Had a look up this way today; some of the best sites in the city combined with some of the worst run – and what would seem to be deliberate derelicting – period buildings and older stock. In particular, old fire station beside NCAD is disgraceful; it’s now a real contender for a boo-boo award of having “the longest left scaffolding in place while the building rots”. (It would seem to have replaced St Georges Church in that regard, as Eugene O’ Connor is pressing ahead there with restoration of that buildings envelope).

However the real Shock! Horror! story must be no. 85 James’s St/ Thomas St – it’s the building on the corner with Watling St, a stand alone Georgian-style with a black frontdoor. Out of historical significance in terms of connections with the brewery, there is a brown plaque, and for many years this house was well-maintained…but not anymore; broken windows, dirt, etc all combine to form a completely derelicted look.
Presumably this belongs to Guinness/ Diageo, as it has one of their billboards on the side – and if so it is more the shame. It is intolerable that such a building should be let rot, and IMO DCC must look at either CPOing or using the powers under the derelict sites act. Either way something must be done – it is a real disgrace 😡

This area has some of the most interesting architecture in town, of which the Guinness hop-store and surrounding buildings are worthy of preserved monument staus in any city.

There are some excellent flats complexes showing Amsterdam school influences, take a look at Oliver Bond flats since they’ve been renovated.

I agree with the Guinness thinking here , the whole complex is looking like shite and it’s a great pity, Thomas street is lifeless except for wandering tourists.

So take a walk up Meath street, down Thomas street and sample the atmosphere because globalisation or total decay or something is going to change it all soon.

Thought I’d add a few shots to illustrate the points so far made. First off No 84, the house near the corner of Watling St, opposite the main entrance of Guinness’s.

and a side view with the Guinness billboard stating “a surge of inspiration”…(Is it possible to confirm Guiness’s as the owner of the house, as they also have a plaque on the front?)

Meanwhile a close up of the plaque on the front, followed by 3 other plaques that were also erected by Guinness’s on other buildings along James’s/ Thomas Streets. One wonder whether Diageo would be so civic-minded these days …

Also adjacent to the hopstore on the corner of Thomas St and Crane Lane are these 18th C buildings, simply being left to rot –

while here is the Crane Lane elevation of the same corner; a good example of a now rare traditional-style shopfront. Thousands of tourists pass this way everyday; ah well at least they can admire the authentic Irish approach to heritage protection. Well done to both the authorities and the owners.

Across the road on the south side of Thoomas St, is a substantial site adjacent to IAWs sitting idle. Gets my prize for the most inappropriate billboard ever, courtesy of Guinness – “Heart of the city…It’s alive inside” 😮

are the latter ones not simply awaiting redevelopment? One of the digital hub planning applications is for a site adjacent IAWS. Is this the same site? And the Manor Park one was for across the road, remember 51 storeys and all that. Obviously they’ll be back in again. Now I’m not sure if they’re related to your pics in any way. Perhaps someone could confirm?

edit: I was referring to hutton’s first post

The interesting thing about areas like this is that when they are eventually redeveloped the various property developers involved will be heralded for the successful regeneration of the area, when much of the reason for its dilapidation in the first place has been the large-scale property speculation indicated in Hutton’s images above. In terms of conserving this street it seems that Dublin City Council are at the mercy of various land-owners who in reality don’t really care about either the physical or social continuity of the area.

Does anyone know the status of this project by HKR architects? It would involve the demolition of the pink pub buildings in Hutton’s photo above.