GrahamH
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Fully agreed about the €20 planning charge, utterly farcical – but when is it being ditched?
We were told almost as soon as it came in that Europe would rightly so come down on top of us, and I recall seeing Mammy O’Rourke make some statement on the issue in the Seanad on Oireachtas Report 🙂 at the time…can’t remember what it was…Considering the original 80s plan for the inner city was all but shelved aside from the Ilac, did the City Library constructed live up to the original scale and scope intended either?
Whereas the diversity offered to the Ilac by the Library is welcome, the idea of it moving to a more ‘signature’ location has great appeal. Saying that, I think it would be preferable to relocate within the existing Ilac site with a street frontage as well as internal access. It’s lost in there as it is.
Brian you’ve perfectly summed it up about Parnell St – it is exactly as you describe, the back yard, the service area, the plant room – not only of Henry St, but of the inner city in general.
Everyone sails in on its crude dual-carriageway ignoring the streetscape and environs and what they may have to offer, up into the gaping mouths of the various car parks belching their fumes around Parnell St’s patrons, and then ta da! – out the other side into the nice and shiny city centre as if everything they’ve just come through never even existed.And I’d include myself in that brigade – used to do the exact same ‘going into town’ for Christmas, park the car on a derelict site, pay someone in a shed to look after it and saunter off into the city ‘proper’, as if it only started with Henry St.
The land uses, the building uses, the architecture, and the public domain are all dismal.
The construction of Jury’s (whatever about the building itself) really was a low point for pedestrians on the street, making its entire western side a virtual obstacle course. The black holes of multistoreys and service bays demonstrate the most abominable planning and disregard for pedestrians; it never fails to raise a cynical smirk at how the (comparitively :)) well-heeled pedestrians of Jervis St are protected by dedicated parking personnel, and the free-for-all state of affairs on Parnell St.And as for the oft-forgotton eastern end of the street, as was pointed out by (Stephen C?) before it is like an 80s timewarp up there.
A public space as you describe Brian at that crucial corner for the north inner city is a very good idea – it would link together so many important elements, not to mention provide some breathing space for the pedestrians of Parnell Street.He was positively apoplectic on the News at One today, an extraordinary performance.
Of course I’d no choice but to listen to what the Liveliners had to say, and it was quite hilarious with Joe trying to reign them all in given the previous ‘incident’ with Cullen 😀 – worth a listen…He certainly ain’t making any efforts to improve his relationship with conservationists/environmentalists etc.
It’s impossible to argue the merits of the planning system for infrastructural projects objectively unless one is involved in them – though you can get a decent idea of what’s going on 🙂
Why is the concept of the system being transparent & democratic
bollocks
?
🙂
With the Carlton, one would wonder if the scheme would now be completed or nearing such a state were Clinton to have held onto the site….
Agreed J. Seerski about the GPO – I know those shadows of lettering studs on the limestone lintels only too well 🙁
In this pic of the 1950s from the ever-useful IAP 🙂 you can just barely make out the discreet mounted lettering on the shopfronts in the distance. Lovely polished black granite pilasters separating the units:
Saying that, you can already see how things are falling apart with the stores in the foreground, so poor signage certainly isn’t a problem exclusive to post 1970. Indeed it was the 50s that started so much poor development like this.
It’s strange how little if any information has emerged here or elsewhere about the Ilac redevelopment. Usually these schemes are launched with great fanfare and a host of renderings.
Is the centre effectively being demolished or just every concievable surface being stripped back to the concrete and reclad?!Here’s what little is available on British Land’s site (presumably referring to 2004 before selling their share):
“At the ILAC Shopping Centre, Dublin, owned in conjunction with Irish Life, we entered into an agreement to lease 1,300 sq m (14,000 sq ft) on two trading levels to provide a flagship store for H&M, one of Europe’s leading fashion retailers. This transaction involves the remodelling of the principal Mary Street entrance, being the first element of the proposed phased refurbishment of the Centre.”
Also two (dodgy) images of the new Mary St elevation which make a bit more sense than the towering blank wall there at the minute:
Just a quick pic from ages ago of St Georges. It was never actually confirmed here if the scaffolding was covered up again and if you could still see the spire – well you can’t 🙂
Wahey – look at that seagull go! 😀
Away to off-load on poor old Daniel no doubt…Obviously this is the view from O’Connell Street cause I wasn’t trudging all the way up there again. Findlater House kindly shattering the fantasy skyline there 😡
Anyone know how long the restoration is due to take?“The expression “the Commissioners” means the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland” 🙂
Thanks for that ctesiphon.
Also of interest is that:“The expression “the Minister” means the Minister for Finance” 😮
That’s interesting about Preservation Orders; I always though they were generalised speak for Protected Structure status, but clearly from what you say they have a different role.
Well I’m no Dan Cruickshank so here’s some pics that help things along – most taken from the so-glossy-it-blinds ‘Building for Government’.
First the Edwardian styled public office that was completed just weeks before being completely destroyed.
It features a lovely top-lit barrel vaulted ceiling and a heavy dentilled cornice. The room was elegantly divided up into three parts with two pairs of columns either side of the central vaulted section.
The whole design looks like it was taken straight out of the White Star Line design handbook of the age – very Titanic-like!
Lovely pedimented doorcases in the background there.
Interesting that the arches under the portico seem to have steel windows fitted in the pic – surely one of the first uses in this country?Below is a plan of this pre-destruction public office. As can be seen the main entrance was restored to its rightful position underneath the portico after being closed up since 1870:
As mentioned on a previous occasion, the Royal Coat of Arms in the pediment to the exterior was removed post-1916 – presumably when the reconstruction got underway.
It can still be seen here in the days after the Rising:
But today – nothing but some neatly slotted in blocks of Portland stone!
According to the OPW book, it wasn’t until 1924 that it was finally decided to even retain the building! What was going on in the intervening eight years God only knows :rolleyes:
Not included in the book is that the £50,000 rebuilding contract went to Alexander Hull & Co. Below is the image of the new Henry St elevation designed by T J Byrne.
Interestingly the door in the 1818 block that now faces onto Henry St doesn’t feature in this image, similarly with the new entrances either side of the portico.
You can see here how crudely (I think) the mansard roof joins the original block – a shame there was such an effort to cram as much office space as possible into the new building.Very attractive façade to Henry St nonetheless, with many of its Custom House-like windows retaining their original wavy glass as can be made out here:
This section appears to have been finished first, followed by the public office in 1929.
Where did this clock for the central table in the new office go?!
Indeed in the c1930 image of the completed office, the table is devoid of it then too – did it ever even exist?!
Another fairly significant change to be made was the blocking up again of the central bay entrance under the portico, just as in 1870! – favouring new openings to either side of the portico. Why had the pre-1916 plan suddenly changed?
It’s such a shame that you cannot access the public office from underneath the portico, and looks even more unlikely now with The Death of Cuchulainn statue in behind.
When you’re inside the public office, it’s very strange to have the arched windows separating you from the public outside – they’re crying out to be reopened.And of course the other more architectural change to be made to Johnston’s original design is the blocking up of the centered entrances to each of the wings of the building – again a shame that those focal points have been lost, replaced with a series of windows and making the wings uninteresting:
Oh yeah – there’s a cupola that was never built too :D. This is the image Paul Clerkin posted before of Johnston’s original design!
Yes the whole drawing room ceiling lights up magnificently; such a grand sight from down in the murky damp conditions on Westland Row – makes you feel like a right pleb 😀
Just so Cork doesn’t get swamped with Dublin, here’s that unusual curved building on the corner with Merrion St and Lincoln Place – not only because it’s roundy :), but also as it is a rare enough example of Regency/early Victorian architecture.
Unfortunately it suffered a fire a year or two ago and has yet to be restored to the exterior at least.
One building that has been restored though is right next door, this delightful little Victorian:
It looks great now crowning the top of Westland Row (aside from the advertising hoarding of course :rolleyes: ), with the sashes also having been restored – always been one of my favourite buildings in Dublin.
There’a such a fine mix of architecture on Westland Row, especially the eastern side which is often ignored in deference to Trinity’s impressive terrace.
Along with Kildare St though it is probably the worst lit street in the capital; likewise the paving and street furniture could do with improvement including the widening if possible of the footpaths.
At many times of the day there’s 5-10 times? the amount of pedestrians on the street as people in cars, yet they are afforded a dismal amount of space on the street.@Andrew Duffy wrote:
stuffy Mitchell’s
Hmmm, another building with a curved window. How very strange…
A blast from the past indeed, and in more ways than one :rolleyes: 😮
How much you can learn in the space of two years!It’s very strange you should dredge this up again Lotts, as the restoration/refurbishment has just been completed, with the boards on the new sashes only coming down in the past few days!
I’ve no pictures of the restored house, and perhaps it would be inappropriate now that it is lived in again, but here are those dismal photos ‘promised’ over two years ago. The house is nothing spectacular, but charming nonetheless.
Unfortunately as can be seen, it is reduced to a humble cottage without the fine doorcase and Georgian grid sashes in view:
The grounds are what make the house. It is sited in a slightly elevated position, surrounded by mature trees including some delightful munkeypuzzles :), and approached via a short winding drive:
A large but sympathetic addition was made to the house in the 50s/60s perhaps:
…but this seems to have been demolished in the refurbishment, being replaced with a building mirroring the scale and proportions of the existing house, essentially doubling its size, creating a valley roof between the two.
Unfortunate that the almost minature proportions of the house have been lost, but at least ithe extension is largely sympathetic and all-important sashes have been installed in it too 🙂
Those bow-fronts are just fantastic!
The windows marching into the distance on the GPO is very attractive too.As for the restored building – ah 🙂
The cornice is clearly just another bizarre feature peculiar to that mad city of yours 😀
Have to say though that the chequered brickwork is quite attractive in its gritty urban state in that pic.Yes the brand new GPO public office was finished barely six weeks before being destroyed! Not to mention huge rationalisation works to the rear carried out since before 1910 up to 1916!
Here’s a rare attractive image of the GPO 🙂
It’s not a favourite of most people, and does come in for a lot of criticisim, but you do get an unusual glimpse here of a grand stately building:
…something that occasionally hits you unexpectedly in real life from certain angles on the street!
There’s a very rare piece of Regency architecture for Dublin in behind the portico that is pretty much ignored – a very fine facade that I always enjoy seeing peeking out from between the columns when ‘walking the plaza’ (well, scurrying off more like for being so exposed :))
Just a pity about the remaining 70% of the building 😀
Perhaps the Metropole did set the precedent. Always been annoyed that there’s no picture of the newly completed O’Connell St facade on the escalator picture wall inside 🙂
I can list every sepia picture on that wall at this stage! :o, but that isn’t one of them unfortunately.Here’s the curent day facade which is one of my favourites on the street – beautifully proportioned with pairs of Georgian sashes. As mentioned before many retain the original 1919 glass::
As for the GPO, I always thought the recostructed roof was much higher, not least along Henry St rather obviously, which looks very poor joining with the O’Connell St facade when viewed from Nth Earl St – the building loses a lot of grace as a result.
These pictures aren’t the best in the world for showing the old O’Cll St roof height, but might have better ones to root out.
Still, at least they show it was low from this perspective at least. One thing for sure though is the amount of chimneys it once had, just like the Custom House and City Hall etc that all accumulated with the Victorians:
It is ironic that the explictly pedestrian-serving structures on this bridge are the very items in the way as a result of the units, i.e the benches.
Yes, fundamentally it seems the scheme simply was not thought through – rather a supposedly ‘innovative’, idealised concept was conjured up that simply did not confrom with the reality of the context – in every respect.
Most certainly 🙂
Yes that is one view of the mansard roof which is awful, but unfortunately not the Abbey St one I referred to!
The Abbey St elevation of Eason’s itself has a much longer mansard that stretches along its long facade length and it’s clad in a horrible silvery material. Railings, pipes and other clutter up there merely add to it 🙁But yes, is the slate-clad mansard on O’Connell St original? Aso did Eason’s originally own the attractive plain limestone link building in the pic there or was it a later acquisition, perhaps when the granite shopfront was added in, when – c1990??
Not intending to be overly tabloidish about it in questioning, but do you think it was simply the desire on the part of DCC for revenue-generating outlets that drove this move, or was it part of a higher-minded ‘plazaisation’ scheme for the bridge with citizens in mind? Or were they just an after-thought that were encouraged by the incentive of revenues?
Agreed also Brian with a lot you have to say about pedestrian activity, but on the central issue of the fridges, surely you are not suggesting that they/some of these would be more appropriate outside the Custom House – turning a petty crime into a full-scale criminal offence?!
It’s looking a bit shell-shocked after that stripping down – as buildings tend to 🙂
The cornice looks very strange up there in the context of the brick work; presumably left over from the plastering job?
Attractive nonetheless, and an especially welcome retention if helps convey the architectural history of the building.@lexington wrote:
Where did the idea for the green paint come from though – is it left over from pre-restoration?! It’s kinda quirky all the same, but perhaps a cream scheme, matching the render band above the ground floor would look just that bit better 🙂
The sashes in this pic appear to have no horns which make them a bit clinical-looking – maybe they are extant and visible in ‘real life’.
