KeepAnEyeOnBob

Is that where the new orbital route is supposed to go? There was a plan to extend the street from the Cathedral through where St. John’s Pavilion is and onto Sexton St.

@rumpelstiltskin wrote:

I actually think one of the most important things they could do in Limerick to bring people into the city is to focus on aesthetic issues. I thought the city development plan was a great vision. Look how many more people frequent Thomas Street and Bedford Row now. If they focused on details like pavement, appropriate windows, lampposts, wires on buildings, and shopfronts, then Limerick could have a sense of quaintness which would draw people in. I mean it almost makes me cry to compare the potential of William Street with its reality. If you dealt with all the above issues on this street, you could have a completely unique and beautiful Georgian commercial street that people would specifically come to Limerick to visit.

Politically unpopular, but I would suggest the most significant factor in Thomas St./Bedford Row isn’t the nice paving, lighting, trees or new developments – it’s scrapping traffic and on-street parking.

@mp wrote:

i shudder to think that anyone in this thread advocating the replication of the original houses is in any way involved professionally with architecture/planning

I would be surprised if reinstatement would not be the preference of most of the general public and those not involved in architecture/planning. Ordinary people are not going to care about ideology, and as regards respecting historical integrity, would probably consider something that “looks” like the rest of the street to be a better idea than things remaining as is. That would certainly be my attitude though I’d prefer the existing situation to a poorly executed reproduction or fake facade. I can understand the perspective of many architects and so on though. The existing ESB building is a distinctive style.

I guess it’s a bit like the scenario with that “carbuncle” shopping centre in England (Tricorn centre or something?)

Thanks for the replies, it’s nice to know these things. A lot of the replacement sash windows here in Limerick, whatever they are or whatever the quality, have replaced flip-open PVC windows rather than the original sash windows.

The red-brick building stock here, whether suburban terrace or city centre townhouse, looks *so much* better with these windows, it really affects the character of the area – making it look properly upmarket.

It’s a shame that flip-open PVC windows were put into the recently remodelled Hanratty’s Hotel building.

Well, from the layman’s perspective, I would say no. 80 “looks” best (if you look at each section individually), but it also of course disrupts the block and looks out of place when you look at the whole row. It all looks superb compared to the late 90s photo, all the bigger difference with the changed streetscape and cleaned up building opposite (albeit with horrible new signage).

I hate these mock-up renders, with their cheerful sky and carefully-shadowed development in pristine condition. It’s completely divorced from reality, where you have to put up with the thing under a grey sky, with half the building in shadow (and casting shadow), and the effects of rain/damp/pollution on the white building panels. Decent proper buildings look respectable in all conditions, even if not perhaps as flashy on a mock-up. justnotbothered is right about it being out of character.

I can understand how some people might find the concept to have some appeal – there is a nice dramatic element to the front of the building (i.e. the part facing down the Shannon) and perhaps it is possible to have that kind of development on the boat club site (certainly one can find examples in other countries) without detracting from the bridge.

However, I do not understand anyone trusting in the execution of the design, or indeed how a lot of the building would look in-situ for real. Without giving up aspirations for our region and country to improve – the track record is not good. Perhaps a comparison with Arthur’s Quay or Cruises Street isn’t fair, but I would certainly expect it to perhaps be more Clarion than Riverpoint in quality (the latter is acceptable, particularly in its location, but by no means some incredible feat of design – the former is still acceptable, but just a bit cheap-n-nasty looking with the panelling and design).

I certainly think the site is too sensitive for people to be cheerleading wildly for the development, or councillors to be so swift in removing protected status from relatively inoffensive existing buildings.

It would be better to have no building at all, not even the nice little red-brick clubhouse, than have the monstrosity that they are seriously trying to get built there. Even bare concrete rather than grass on the site would be preferable as an eyesore, at least it would only be obvious if you looked over the side of the bridge.

dave123:

Seriously, it isn’t hyperbole. Just look at the condition of buildings finished only months or a year or two ago, not to mention anything from the early 00s or 90s. They have barely been designed in a way that ensures they look good even in the short term, nevermind 5 or even 10 years (and really I see no reason why building in the city centre shouldn’t be considered for 50 years at a minimum – it’s quite wasteful to have this “disposable building” mentality).

Can you not bend your mind as to how the structures in the mock-up will look like in real life, and more particularly after just a couple months of exposure to the elements?

As for new ideas, I certainly do want to see some. How about instead of yet another iteration of the failed city-centre mall idea, we get more extensive pedestrianisation and some “anchor stores” for the city centre in general? Debenhams and Brown Thomas are absolutely pathetic compared to real department stores on the continent for example (I don’t really have enough experience of the UK to compare – I’m guessing they are similarly miserable – that’s where we’ve got all the same broken ideas that we’ve been using).

Not a fan of Arthur’s Quay – at least in terms of design, part of city centre, and replacing what it did – however, I think saying it’s the worst city centre building in Europe is ridiculous hyperbole. Besides, until they did it up, that honour surely would have gone to Cork bus station?

Arthur’s Quay isn’t even the worst city centre building in Limerick – I would sooner put forward the Sarsfield Street old Dunnes, or even Todds as that. AIB up the street is pretty lame too – actually kind of strangely resonant with AQ – maybe it’s just the green colour and vintage.

Actually Arthur’s Quay seems to be working better than ever as a shopping mall since the food court was put into the top floor (it kind of makes one wonder why on earth not have done that from day 1, years ago!) and there is more of a variety of shops today too (it was far grimmer in the mid 90s). I’d still prefer actual streetscape of course – what a city centre should be. Opera Centre will simply be a bigger modern version of AQ – can’t understand how people can even begin to think of it as some kind of visionary wonder-project.

The boardwalk is a good idea. Clancy Strand is a nice walk as part of a Limerick city tour (from Treaty Stone to Sarsfield bridge and back to city centre, as opposed to going back to the castle and up to the cathedral a second time).

The pavement works on Clancy Strand are nicely done, and it is good to see some new lighting and less overhead wires – but I am not so sure about the new light fixtures.

Sarsfield bridge could do with a bit of work. It’s a fine bridge in my inexpert but local opinion. There is a marker on the bridge to mark it having been done up in the 1970s, but the mortar between the stone on the parapets doesn’t seem so great, and there is a lousy stoney concrete pavement with lines marking it out like paving slabs. Even the tarmac on the roadway would be less obtrusive if properly relaid and marked. The lamps are I think all working again, and I think they were painted in recent years, but they could be properly cleaned up and restored.