GrahamH

Possibly the latter as it affords the opportunity to unify the terrace fully by utilising vertical elements reflecting the vertical emphasis of the fluted columns of Manfield Chambers and the lovely pilasters of Eason’s.
The Metropole did not do this fully – no doubt something Horace O’Rourke would have insisted on had he been in charge at the time.

@Devin wrote:

If the vertical elements were positioned on the first and second floors, with the third and forth’s emphasis placed horizontally, along with a new cornice line I think it would work superbly.

Dividing the new building up into two parts by having a dominant corner and a subservient plain part between it and Eason’s to the left like the current situation on the opposite side might be going too far, but it would look even better!

Agreed about the c1920 building; that terrace mus have looked very fine all executed in limestone and a similar syle, the most unified post-1916 block in fact. The BHS causes so much damage to the character of Lower O’Connell St which is by and large neclassical in design – it beggars belief that the Metropole was permitted to be demolished. let alone be replaced with this.
And as said before, the upper two floors are used for storage! No wonder they wanted pre-cast concrete panels all the way when originally proposed.

I like the windows, but obviously not in this context – look at the image there, nothing but a token gesture on an otherwise blank wall and not even an acknowledgement of the cornice line. Wouldn’t be surprised if the upper windows are false :rolleyes:

It’s interesting to see in the 1900 image how the street is gradually turning into a modern day Westmoreland Street architecturally.

Here’s a few bits and pieces about the Hotel Metropole that used to stand right next to the GPO on Lower Sackville Street – probably the most well known by name of institutions on the street, but perhaps not by building.

The life of the site first started out as four individual Wide Streets Commission buildings in a terrace, but these were amalgamated to form the hotel.
Here it is in about 1880, with an either rendered or stone-clad facade. Window surrounds have been added but their placement remained the same:

And here it is in its glory years in about 1900 (Laurence Collection) – wow!

It has been completely remodelled (if not the original building completely demolished) with a highly elaborate high Victorian French-style facade with magnificent ironwork in the form of vast balconies on the first and second floors and smaller window-specific balconies on the third.
An attic storey has also been added with a mansard roof, as well as some very impressive chimneys.

Also a fine entrance canopy has been built over the pavement – you wouldn’t get away with that today…

Here it is again in about 1903 where the ironwork has been painted black:

…and again collapsing in 1916…

..aaand again 7 seconds later 😀

What a loss to the street though :(. It was hit by a shell intended for the GPO next door – which would you have preferred, the GPO or it?…

Here’s its replacement – a fairly standard exercise in modern neoclassicism, looks like it matched Eason’s etc very well:

It’s the building Frank McDonald gives out about being knocked for, well, this :rolleyes:

That BHS building is just so inappropriate from any northern viewpoint in the street – look how it crudely pushes forward into the streetscape, so arrogant. I must admit to having always liked its blue limestone window bays, but this does not in any way make up for its shameful impact on the terrace it is located in, nor its harsh lines next to the GPO.
At least we didn’t end up with the Ilac facade proposed…

Just on that building on Grafton St – I pass it nearly every day and every time have to marvel at how graffti is attracted like a magnet to derelict/vacant buildings. How is it that this single building on an otherwise ‘respectable’ and exceptionally busy street manages to get itself covered in graffiti simply because the entrance door is bolted shut with a board over it?!

Just extraordinary, not to mention a shame considering the stonework has just been cleaned as part of the magnificent restoration.

As for O’ Connell Street’s planning needing more than just the occasional glance, it requires an armed guard and surveillence equipment to monitor every property on the street 24/7 😀
Although on Upper O’Cll St there seems to be something of an anti-progress culture up there – lets not do anything and keep the place in a dismal state so that standard planning practices for any ‘normal’ street won’t have to be enforced.

Hopefully the sparkling new public domain will show up the state of the properties there for what they are.

23/6/2005

I took these images a few months ago but forgot about them until I came across the same building recently, sadly on the An Taisce Buildings at Risk register:

It’s made up of a charming and unassuming pair of late Georgian houses at the far end of a street just off the town’s main street. There’a a fantastic stock of 19th century domestic classical architecture round here – this one is thankfully one of very few in such poor condition, though it is one of the oldest so is perhaps to be expected.

Another view here showing the remarkably surviving original sash windows and brick chimney; an inappropriate modern one in the middle looks like it was shoved in about 10-15 years ago:

This house is particularly unusual in that it features a carriage arch – very rare for such a modest building in Dundalk, if not nationally. The associated building next to it is as good as derelict 🙁

The quote from An Taisce:

“Rare surviving unaltered early 19th century vernacular buildings. Divided into three sections comprising two cottages with boarded up door and window to ground floor and original 3 over 3 single pane sashes to first floor. Additional bay over carriage arch with sash over. Natural slate roof, brick stacks. An adjoining building to the South, which was part of the same development is ruinous with its rubble stone construction exposed. Vernacular buildings of this type retaining their architectural character are rare, not just in Dundalk but Irish towns generally.”