GrahamH
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The concrete plinth for the cast bronze base has just gone in. Youcan see the gap between the concrete & the Spire where the light is to come up through (Friday 7th)
In a word, yes.
Where did the obelisk originate from? It’s not part of classical architecture is it? I’ve never seen obelisks in Ancient Greece of Rome, but maybe thats just me…
It makes me seeth with rage, all that needless destruction of the houses, just to satisfy the company for a measly 40 years. Its a real slap in the face to all Irish people just to waltz off out of the premises. At least some serious consideration can now be given to their reconstruction. Good riddance to the ESB, the organisation that single handedly created the biggest blow to Georgian Dublin, indeed historic Dublin as a whole.
In October of 1916, an expert group was established, including the city architect CJ Mc Carthy, and an eminent town planner, can’t remember his name at the minute, with the aim of rebuilding the street in a manner ‘sympathetic to it’s classical precendent’ but this time to accomodate commercial development on a large scale.
They were responsible for the terrace on the right-hand side of the Street stretching from the Quays to Abbey Street, as well as the Clerys site. (even though it wasn’t finished until 1922)Horace O’ Rourke crops up after the Civil War in 1922, his influence evident in the rather stark Hammam Buildings terrace, which includes the Gresham & the Savoy.
Me too. Indeed its being bored so fast that they say its not worth stopping to give the residents a break up above, as it passes them by within a day!
The Hugh Lane Gallery’s aren’t the originals, whatever about the Rotunda.
The Wellington Obelisk in the Phoenix (I know its spelt wrong) Park was the tallest in the world until the Washington Monument was completed. I think its now the second tallest. Quite an achievement considering the 100,000s of obelisks on the planet!
To say the least. And where are all tons of the beautiful granite in the ramp going to go after it’s removal? Worth a lot of money. Knowing this country it will be left lying out to be nicked again, like the Quay Wall incident.
Looks like the Victorian facade of Connolly is also being cleaned in anticipation of the LUAS, about time. Its covered in scaffolding at the minute. Some dazzling white floodlighting would be spectacular on the building and the Italinate tower, acting as a beacon/marker for the city’s major railway & Luas terminal.
Saw them up close this morning, the relief detail is amazing, and so crisp & clean. The name of the restorer is on a little brass plate on the very bottom of each of the column’s bases. (I really shouldn’t know that)
City Council, please keep them maintained for once in your life!
Congratulations on creating the longest post ever!!!
That is truly facinating information, I never ever even heard a whiff of that before. Considering the vast sums sloshing about in the dizzying days of 60s & 70s property speculation, pity it couldn’t have been directed into creating some of this vision, or indeed any vision at all!
Oh really? How exciting! Any more info?
I doubt the railings & ‘sentry boxes’ will be moved though, considering their ‘Victorianess’, and the railings that go down the sides have only just been installed.I’m in the ‘hate it’ clique, indeed seething, blood-boiling, murderously inclined hatred would be more appropriate.
The last word I’ll say on it is that it’s so bad because it is on the city’s main throughfare, it can be seen from head to toe, brazenly dominating the city centre in a manner that Hawkins House and friends can only dream about. It isn’t just an ugly head of a building peering above the city’s 5 storeys, but rather a structure built to be seen, to dominate the surrounding buildings and hence is utterly destructive of the character of the city centre.
The remark about not having to live in a museum is dangerously reminesent of arguements put forward by developers (and notably Sam Stephenson) during the battle for Hume Street and Fitzwilliam Street.
What do you mean about ‘reintroducing’ Leinster Lawn Paul? Is the car park to be removed? Please say yes.
The other side of Leinster House shold also be dealt with, the railings removed from outside, and the whole plaza area originally intended opened back up again. The sweeping colonnades of the Ntl Library & Museum are spectacular, but utterly lost behind all those ghastly railings to the sides, and the nicer (but nonetheless intrusive) Victorian railings to the front. It should be given back to the people, and some creative job done on the ‘landscaping’.
Sorry that the high rise issue has to come back in but it is the major issue involved in O’CBH. Standing in the centre of O’ Connell Bridge looking all around the ‘real city centre’, all one can see is the 5 storey streets stretching out in all directions, charmingly pierced with domes and cupolas of O’ Connell Street and Westmoreland Street, and the further-away spires of the city’s churches. Walking from Stephens Green, through Grafton St, College Green, Westmoreland, the Bridge and finally O’ Connell St, one does not encounter a single building that breaks the code, (the Central Bank is too set back to be noticed to any degree)
If O’ CBH was at least a taller. slenderer landmark building, fair enough, at least it would make a statement, and contrast with the surronding buildings,but it isn’t. It is too fat,stout and medium height to work, and creates the impression of being in a badly planned city. It remindes one exactly of any standard, badly planned,higgeldy piggelty British city, like the centre of Bristol.
It is the one major blight on the character of Dublin, and should be removed.
(I’m not anti-tall. A Docklands reaching for the skies would be a feature in itself for the city)
Shame on all you O’ Connell Bridge House worshippers!!! It is monsterously placed, towering above all surrounding buildings and streets, grossly out of scale with the area and the city as a whole. It destroys the low-rise character of the city centre, wreeks havoc on it’s skyline and intrudes itself in the most ingnorant and brutish way imaginable onto the plaza-like area of O’ Connell Bridge.
Whereas the recladding has made it look very streamlined and contemporary, nothing short of complete demolition could improve this pile of monsterous rubbish!
It’s just the filth thrown up by feet of pedestrians, all up the lower part of the railings. It has been building since the end of last summer, and nothing has been done about it.
Another ‘engineer’ on the site told me it was 125m!
And for the 65th millionth time, the bulbs (or rather LEDs) will be changed via an internal pully system that lowers them and their sockets to ground level inside. The ladder only goes up as far as a man can fit (although if the Victorians had their way, it would go up to the width of a four year old)
