J. Seerski
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At first impressions, the replacement for the Laughter Lounge IS quite an improvement. The building lines of the quay have been maintained. The materials are sympathetic to the surrounding red brick terrace with limestone dressings. I think it will help Eden Quay and will be a much needed improvement. In its place, do you really want a pastiche Georgian nonsense?
I see some call it another bit of nothingness – couldn’t Georgian Dublin be called that? The point of georgian terraces was that they would not detract from centrepieces in the vicinity – ie Belvedere House, Four Courts, Customs House, St Georges Church etc etc. Really, this new building will not seek attention in an area that has some magnificent example of architecture – and thats not a bad thing.I remeber seeing a photo of Beresford Place in the fifties before the erection of the present Liberty Hall, there appears a cresent of houses starting at Liberty Hall – which was then cut by the Loopline, the question I have is did the cresent continue to present-day Busaras and the AIB Trade centre?
I have a 1970s photo of Customs House Quay and its almost like a different world…. No IFSC, no Matt Talbot Bridge, Warehouses where the present IFSC House and AIB centre stand…few cars and boats right up to the Customs House. 😮
Oh my god – I am only 25 and I do remember the M50 being built as a by-pass around Dublin – its effectively Dublin’s new circular road, with everything within could be called the new Inner City!!!!!
Hi,
This Church used to be called St. Thomas’ Church and it was modelled similarly to that on Thomas Street – palladian in style. it was very long. The Church was demolished and Cathal Brugha Street drives through where it once stood on Marlborough Street. The Church on the Island replaced it, and is now the church of the combined parishes of St George and St Thomas.
It made sense to place an opening there as it was a vey long uninterrupted streetscape – it provides more access and commercial potential. Maybe thats the reasoning of the proposed strret that was to link Moore and O’Connell via the site adjacent the Carlton. I have to say that the breath-taking pace of development around that site makes the hapless Carlton stick out as more than ever – Parnell Street is finally coming together and it is becomming a major retail/leisure street. But as for the Parnell Sq. end of O’Connell Street, well, we wait, and wait, wand wait…..
The farcical Nature of the train system at the moment is laid bare today with the proposed Ballinasloe-Galway Motorway which aims to reduce travelling times to under two hours – who the hell would bother with a train which takes over three hours at present from Heuston to Galway if this comes about. When all of the proposed railway infrastructure is in place (which I doubt will ever happen) the trains will still be running at 19th century speeds….
I tend to agree with the general sentiments of above. As a residident and worker in the IFSC I am puzzeled as to the low rise nature of the district. It was an immense missed opportunity.
One remarkable fact is that, at seven storeys, the 1950s Busaras is still taller than any of the buildings built in the IFSC. The IFSC does lack the gravitas that hig-rise would afford the area. But all is not lost….Take the Jurys Inn Carpark in the IFSC – It was horrendous and nothing mmuch besides. But as the scarcity of space has driven up the price of land and hence the site became extremely valuable- hence the building of two floors of offices above the multi-storey car-park. Now the building stands at seven storeys. Aside from the AIB centre, Bank of Ireland and the IFSC House, the other blocks in the centre are spectacular only for their banality.
I predict that within 10 years many will be demolished and replaced with much higher densities. The NCB, Statoil and Exchange buildings have to be the worst. They feel like the worst offerings of business parks. Hopefully the new extension of the IFSC will be much better.
As for FMcD, he deserves some credit – what he opposed – if I interpreted him correctly – was the building of poor-quality high-rises as were proposed in the original Spencer Dock plan. Though it seems planners exchanged poor quality high-rise for poor-quality low-rise. In fact, FMcD criticised the IFSC extension – Citibank et.al – for its blandness.
The area would not be missed if it was levelled in the morning. It has regenerated the city north-docks, but this is more akin to a visiting circus: its effects are short-term and a tent will only last as long as the crowds still come (in this case the international banks seekeing tax breaks).
Well thought out, the Abbey could be very successful at Parnell Square. With such gravitas that the Abbey could bring to the square, more restaurants will inevitably open – the Gate does bring crowds, but not in sufficient numbers to make more quality restaurants viable. Given the structure of Cholaiste Mhuire, its protected rooms could be used as exhibition rooms, cafes, book-shops etc, rather than making the theatre a stand alone operation, this would make it more viable than at present. The building has some very fine features – the staircase at its side entrance is particularly fine.
I hope this will broaden the renaissance of the north city beyond O’Connell Street – more importantly, the ‘city’ is too small at present, and the main attractions should be spread out beyond a few streets. Moving to Parnell Square loosens the congested nature of Dublins main attractions – ie too many in too small an area.The Luas connection to O’Connell Street seems wrong – could an alternative route of Stephens Green North/Kildare Street/Tara Street/Abbey Street not be a better solution, enabling southern commuters connect with the IFSC and O’Connell Street???
One question – are the re-laying of underground services on O’Connell Street at the moment illogical if the luas is to coonect via O’Connell Bridge, necessitating the relaying of all services again?!!! For less disruption and creating a wider city centre they should go via Tara Street, necessitating no new crossings of O’Connell Street and connecting Tara Street to the Luas.
😉
Great News!
Acording to a friend who works in the Gresham, the Hotel is to close for four months in March in order for the hotel to be upgraded to five-star standard. This is a much needed boost if it goes ahead. Apparently the Hyatt group are posed to take over the hotel.
It was one of the greatest tragedies for O’Connell Street that the Gresham fell from being one of the worlds finest hotels (voted best hotel in the world in the mid-sixties – no other Irish hotel achieved such status). It is definitely the finest hotel facade in Dublin – restrained and elegant – and thankfully, in spite of attempts to demolish and replace with a shopping centre in the mid seventies, it remains stately in a part of the street that is otherwise neglected. The old Ryan group never did the hotel any justice, failing to invest in the hotel throughout the seventies and eighties while other Dublin hotels were opening or upgrading – though to their credit, they at least never destroyed the hotels exterior or lobby.Extending footpaths, palnting trees, and new streetlighting will only go so far in upgrading O’Connell Street. Developments, such as the possible upgrading of the Gresham, will play a crucial role in making the street a quality and pleasant destination.
At last a concrete example of the streets improving status is in the pipeline.:)
Im glad its going it was always a kip since the late eighties
Hope the staff find BETTER PAID jobs – they were really bad employers. Rates were truly awful.
Heres to there overpriced rubbish food and coffee vanishing forever!
A point to note – surely it is not unreasonable to believe that parts of the Ormond predate 1700 – As Ormond Quay was developed during the 1670s-90s? As far as I am aware, a building that can be proved to pre-date 1700 is declared a National Monument – therefore cannot be demolished.
I dont want to get passionate, but I really am convinced that this demolition will destroy the rythm of the quays from the Four Courts to the Customs House. Yes the Ormond was not a great Hotel – but that is not what is at issue here- will its demolition and replacement enhance the quays? So much of the quays have been destroyed that it should not be long before there will be no buildings of any historic value fronting the Liffey – it should be noted that architectural historians consider the quays make-up of un-uniform (though similar) enhance the great Gandon buildings by acting as a foil to this grandeur.
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It is indeed a fitting example of how expendible PVC windows are in this case. They were only installed in 2002 so they were a huge waste of money – pure short-termism (if there is such a word). Can one speculate that if the originals were intact that this may have hampered the planning application to demolish??!
I think this building as in the picture will have a hugely negative visual impact on the quays – As much as I decry the disneyland nonsense at Bachelors walk, it does not interrupt the shabby beauty of the quays, foiled only by the splendid Customs House and Four Courts. If there was a ghastly building at the Ormond at the moment I would not hesitate to replace it. The old Laughter Lounge was hideous, for example. But as the Ormond was unobtrusive it should have been left well alone. With a few repairs the Ormond could yet be a spendid hotel – in demolishing it, it will become another non-descript hotel akin to those dreaded motorway inns…
This has to be the worst planning decision on Dublin in the last ten years.
The old Savoy (pre-sixties) from old film reel had a projected central sign with sides projecting from the facade to the centre – by this you could see what was on in the cinema from quite a distance in spite of being parallell to the cinema on the same footpath. It looked Art-Deco in style.
Then it was replaced with that plastic fascia board in the seventies. Though ugly, it was of its time. Quite disappointed with its new replacement.
Graham I dont know whether its called Blarney house! But its dire nonetheless.
Saw a montage of the proposed replacement – its just as banal as its predecessor.
Have to also remark that, as I have said before, trees should not dominate exceptional works of architecture. All of the trees on College Green should be removed as they obscure some of Ireland’s best works. Can you think of any similar plaza in Europe so dominated by trees? Imagine the Grand Place in Brussels with these London Plane Trees – no doubt they thought that the fine square looks better without. Clerys and the GPO can at last be well appreciated without those obscuring London Planes.
These trees camofage Foster Place and inhibit uninterrupted views of both Trinity and The Old Parliament, not to mention the fine builings on the south of the street – the detailing on the old Ulster Bank and the Closed Bank of Ireland are particular works of High Victorian skill (and sculpture – note the statue at the top of the closed Bank of Ireland with the lettering ‘Erin go Brath!’)
A tunnell under the liffey would be the cheapest solution – the stephens green idea is too disruptive – it wouldn’t take a genius to extend the Luas through to Connolly from Stephens green – it can be done without the underground – diverting a tunnell just for one Luas stop is loo-lah – it is more important for both main stations to have through-trains to each other.
The interconnector is viable under the liffey, with maybe two stops inbetween.
Investigate three of his major projects – 1. for a major Municipal Cathedral inbetween Broadstone Station and Kings Inns; The creation of a circus junction at O’Connell/Henry/Earl Street Junction and his proposed Cresent of Housing that would have surrounded the Customs House – These would really have impacted upon the city.
