GrahamH

Great coverage Gaberiel.
About the seating – it’s something that’s annoyed me recently, the way the distinctive green seating is now gone on new buses, and is being gradually replaced on the older models. Hence all of the buses’ interiors are becoming very bland and lacking in identity, with that standard blue covering with the coloured dashes spattered over it, just like every city bus, tourist coach, or local minibus in the UK or the rest of this country.

The idea of having a distinctive identity for the buses’ interiors has gone out the window, which is a great shame.
Whereas the old green is now dated, it was originally very contemporary and well thought out, from the wall finishes to the seating covers, and hence was very effective – just like DART.
The capital’s bus service deserves better than off the shelf, ‘anywhere’ design.

Bizarre that Zoe weren’t mentioned at all on the news last night, or on the radio this morning.
Regardless of their track record, it is to be expected that the contractors/developers be named, and a spokesperson contacted.
Instead we had poor old Barry Kenny squirming as usual.

Saw a picture of Eden quay in the 1930s in a window on Talbot St the other day, it used to be so well scaled and planned. The Laughter Lounge site had a 4 bay arched facade, and built of similar materials to the buildings on either side still there.
What ever planner granted permission permission for the destruction of this building, wrecking the unity of the terrace, and for it to be replaced with a black brick wall, must have been of their head.

That’s an interesting point Phil about the likes of Stack A, the Victorians would look at us like we had two heads for appreciating such coarse and utilitarian structures.
Even standard domestic Victorian interiors, which even architects and artists of their day criticised, are drooled over by most people today (including myself!)
It’s extraordinary how older buildings have gathered such status, immunity from any form of criticisim – almost sacred.
What I’ve always wondered is will it ever cease? I mean for example, the listed structures on Grafton St – the CC or conservation groups, even the public, certainly in the medium term, will never allow these structures to be demolished.
Soon they become 200 years old, further elevating their status. Then 250, then 300 – it goes on.
Soon they are on a par with medieval structures in the UK and become untouchable.
And eventually they are equated to the Parthenon etc in age, and become sacrosanct.
Will there ever be any other buildings on these sites?
I’ve always wondered what would James Gandon or Lovett Pearce have said if you told them their buildings would be worshipped in 200/300 years time, and that the foundations they were looking at were unlikely to ever see the light of day again?
(excluding 1922!)
It’s a facinating area.

Coyle Hamilton aka Phoenix House is the most disgustingly repulsive building in the city after Hawkins.
How anyone could ever appreciate its brashness, its horrible projecting, cluttered, finiky, shiny aluminum windows, or its horrendous concrete, today or in 100 years time is beyond me. I have to look the other way when passing – it’s nasty nasty nasty.
Apparently it was a trade off with the Georgian Society in the late 60s or 70s, they wouldn’t object to the knocking of the Georgian houses on the site if the developer kept the one next door that’s still there today. Something like that anyway.

I think there’s a sad element to the passing of time because when these buildings first went up people were generally appalled by them, whether by the materials used or more likely the sheer scale of them.
But as time passes people just don’t care anymore, they just accept them, and don’t realise that things could be so much better.
Suppose it’s most notable on Stephens Green south, with the Big Three of trash lining the end with Leeson St, we really just accept them as part of the streetscape, that Dublin is just ‘like this’ with horrible modern buildings that people don’t like, which in turn makes them not like the city.
I know of so many people who don’t like the feel of the city centre, including family – all of whom are from Dublin, because of these buildings.
They percive the place to be tatty, ugly and crude.

That’s why I object so much to the likes of O’ Connell Bridge House, it creates the impression of a mediocre, middle-rise city, and destroys the character of the whole area, making it feel like a nasty provincial British city.
And I don’t mean character in terms of ‘oldness’ and ‘quaintness’, but meaning a quality, human scale, with interest and distinction.
I don’t think people’s opinions will cange, some will still like it, and others, while most still won’t.

Surely they are!?

Why was this done?
I thought we left this kind of thing back in 1989.
Why didn’t they just throw up the usual modern red bricked or pebble-dashed type construction?
Is there a reason for the pastiche – just that building like this on such a large scale doesn’t really happen today.

I’m not going to jump on the bandwagon and say what trash, what rubbish etc, simply because it dosn’t look that bad in the pic – more like an OPW 1930s Garda Station than anything else. I’ll take your word on it Paul!
That’s not to say I’m in favour of such regurgitative building – I hate it with avengance.

I passed by yesterday and was furious to discover that most of the trench had been filled in already!
But the sight of one archway and wall was enough to get me excited.
They would indeed appear to be hand-made brick and quite a part of an exposed wall was made up entirely of the small square variety, rather than the usual rectangle-square-rectangle etc.
It’s extraordinary to see the crumbling old development juxtaposed with the new granite paving, and the cars and buses roaring by overhead, oblivious to what lies 3 feet underneath.
I couldn’t belive how far out from the terrace they are, much farther than say Harcourt St, they run right under what is now the new road carriageway, they could go as far as the central median – that’s over 75 feet!

Indeed they’re so far out I wonder whether they are the basements of the long-forgotton Drogheda Street, a terrace of which ran along what is now the central median.

Here are two pictures, one a map of Sackville Mall and Drogheda St, note the terrace in question in the bottom right of the pic, and the amount of plots making it up.
The second is of the Wide Streets Commission terrace about 30 years after completion, of which these basements could also be part of, which is perhaps more likely. Note the arched shopfront closest to the edge of the picture is identical to that of the last Wide Streets Commission shopfront on Dame St.

I think the real gem to emerge from the soot was the Long Library Building – I know the Victorians are criticised for replacing the original redish sandstone with dull granite, but they had little option given the dubious track record of sandstone in general.
Does anyone know if the limestone arcading of the ground floor is the original?

The building looks fantastic, esp emerging from the ‘tunnel’ from Nassau St, with the hundreds of panes of glass catching the light.
The sheer scale of the building is breathtaking.
If the Victorians had refaced the building 10/15 years later we would have ended up with plain single pane sashes of plate/cylinder glass, which would have been a great shame.
I agree about the Museum Bldg, it’s such a pity the foliage etc is so obscured.

To get away from the Prods in Trinity apparently…