GrahamH
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I think half the city does – at least you’ve something nice to look at. My parents worked in it for years so I vagely recall the interior.
They tried to get hold of a fantastic painting of the building before the place was cleared out – alas someone else got there first 🙂Here’s just two pics of Georges Quay taken from a couple of years ago. It looks even better now with near full-occupancy. Apologies for resolution, they’re stills taken from some VT of photo prints :p
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.That’s interesting, thanks. It’s just it stands out, being what appears to be the only old booth left on the city’s main streets.
It’s always great to see the blue and white ones pop up in the most unlikely places in rural areas too, they’re a distinctive part of the Irish built heritage and worthy of protection – esp considering how few are left.
I’ve loads of nightime pics of it here but the scanner’s broken, I’ll try another way – but yes it looks fantastic when lit, esp the central tower that forms the canyon-like entrance facing the quay.
And the view from the IFSC is amazing after dark, with all the towers glowing in white light – what a contrast with the daytime scene. Towers of Darkness they’re not!Another building that looks great at night is the old Carrolls building on the Grand Canal, it can be seen at the moment in a Kellogg’s ad on telly. It’s aged so well, and the white light and glazing make it look like it was built yesterday.
Couldn’t have asked for worst weather either – same as last year.
As expected the peaceful enclave of Molesworth St is choked now, you can’t even cross the road unless the ped lights on Dawson St hold up the flow. By contrast, Green west is very strange now without traffic noise, it’s almost like the ‘Trinity Effect’ 🙂
That’s very weird – I passed a scrapyard only today that had one of these boxes and thought the same thing. They are definitely worthy of preservation. Even if they are no longer needed, there is no reason why their doors cannot be sealed and they be maintained by communities in a manner similar to parish pumps etc.
Do they date from the 50s or earlier? Some have a 30s feel to them. Does anyone know what the booth on Dawson St was used for originally and when it dates from – I think I heard it was once used as a fire alert station or something.
I don’t think the sandblasting has happened yet, the roadway still has the same texture and colour of the flanking pavements. It’s a shame the inset stone squares get so dirty on the road, the overall plaza pattern is somewhat diluted with the pavement squares being brighter and cleaner.
Presumably the Spire lighting will happen eventually – it’s too good an opportunity to miss. Many people have commented on it to me annoyed about it not being lit to date. It would further help turn O’Cll St into a nightime destination, rather than somewhere to avoid, let alone create a fantastic feature for the city at large.As someone who walks through the city centre everyday, I’m all too well aware of the amount of homeless on the streets – passing the same people in their same places every, as well as newcomers, you really become aware of the contrast between so much wealth and poverty, esp at Christmas, and on freezing or wet days when rushing to get inside and get warm, passing by people who have to spend the whole day under blankets.
But as others say, the improvement of the urban environment, or once in a lifetime projects like the Spire should not be used to hold up a flame for the disadvantaged in society. This is not where public monies are disappearing. It is primarily an issue of inadequate distribution of wealth on a much larger scale. The recent flagging of possible further tax cuts as a result of an upturn in the economy says it all.
This side of the station is a mess as it is without this clunky cluttered addition. It doesn’t integrate into the area, and less still to the station. An opportunity lost, following in the footsteps of the terminal. Those sail yokes have a tendancy to get very grubby if not maintained too, so going by IE’s record they may end up looking even worse.
And just on this part of Connolly, think someone’s said it before but the 90s grey block that attaches itself to the right-hand side of the 1840s facade has to be the most insensitive not to mention ugliest and grottiest addition to any old building in the city. It is a disgrace, esp when seen from the ped crossing at Talbot St.
And the old facade is still in dire need of a proper restoration, perhaps it will be carried out with this project or soon after.Ian, you have a point about the amount of criticisim here in that bad projects, bad design and bad planning inevitably get people more animated, esp people who have an interest in such matters, regardless of how many decent projects are excecuted – and even then contributors are more than willing to praise good work when they see it, and often in the face of being shot down by others.
Suppose one problem is that regardless how flippant someone is in a critcal remark, it tends to carry the same weight when in text on a forum.
The top ten you mention, some rather dubious including Luas, conceal a dearth of investment in so many other areas – one can easily list another top ten, if not fifty more alternative projects.On the whole, remarks and opinions are balanced and sensible with some tongue-in-cheek stuff too naturally. I don’t think people think things are better abroad full-stop, rather we can learn from other countries, and try not to make their mistakes, something we so often seem oblivious to.
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.That bottom pic is great! Esp the after-thought paper arrow on the parking sign! God it says everything about this country – including the PVC doors.
On the issue of Dublin street signs – I’ve always wondered who came up with their classic design? When does it date from, it seems they’re maybe from the 70s. They’ve become an icon of the city by now. There’s older green ones too with a more clutterd font used, with the Irish above executed in old Irish script.
The Dame St project is taking a long time alright, the plans were drawn up ages ago now.
Still think the State should lop off the top couple of storeys from Hawkins before flogging it, I think its mid-rise height is as equally offensive as its architecture and condition, especially when coupled with O’Cll Bridge House.
The same with the Dep of Agriculture, peeping over Govt Buildings as it does – who the hell granted permission for that height, an unbelievably reckless decision, even taking into account the condition of Govt Bldgs at the time.It was funny to see Jurys Edinburgh just a couple of weeks after it was mentioned here cropping up on Restoration. There was a tight shot taken from a distance scanning over the city skyline, with domes, cupolas and crumbly balustrades filling the screen, and in bursts Jurys like a bolt of reality, shattering the fairytale.
It was cut before becoming too obvious 🙂
