Dublin eyesores that need to be demolished: name them!

Rodin

admiralofthefleet wrote: »

hawkin house (dept. of health)

Agree completely. A shockingly ugly building

Teyla Emmagan

Lots of terrible old shopping centres in the 'burbs alright.

I can't believe I have been mixed up about Boland's mill my whole life, that's gas.

Liberty Hall was lit up as part of the 2009 Dublin Theatre Festival and it looked absolutely amazing. There's an article (and only one photo sadly) here http://girlfromthehills.wordpress.com/2009/08/

It was the first time I looked at it and realised it could actually be an attractive building. It needs a bit of remodelling but it doesn't necessarily deserve to be torn down. It still manages to look quite modern in its own way I think.

I can't believe all the people in favour of the Convention Centre though, are ye all blind? It's a hideous soulless building, both inside and out and even though a fortune was spent on it it still manages to look cheap. It's basically a glass dustbin on its side. I can't see any architectural or sylistic merit in it at all. And it looks even worse bathed in those awful pink/green lights IMO.

jack presley

UCD, Bank of Ireland on Baggott Street. Basically any building that was built in the 70's or early 80's (whenever that style of architecture was in vogue)

Neeson

Hardly all of UCD now?

jack presley

Neeson wrote: »

Hardly all of UCD now?

No just the buildings from that late 70s/early 80's era.

juan.kerr

quaalude wrote: »

This yoke on Grand Canal Street

It is empty, as far as I can tell, so now is the perfect time!

I worked in there for ~18 months back 5 or 6 years ago. Back then it was due to be demolished when the current lease ended but the recession / property crash etc put paid to that.

Complete dump inside also.

juan.kerr

January wrote: »

Chancery Street, it's an old SW office. There's a pic a few posts before my first post.

There's a fair few other eyesores in that area, like the one across from the rear entrance to Tara Street Train Station (to the left of the fire brigade station) or the one right beside the Screen Cinema (think it is An Post). And the Tara Street Train Station offices facing onto Tara Street.

TheVoodoo

jack presley wrote: »

No just the buildings from that late 70s/early 80's era.

It's funny, UCD really grew on me after I went there. Granted I was there for years which will give some bias. There's just something.....nice about it. Don't ask me what it is. I know it doesn't have any 'history' like Trinity does, but it does have it's own charm. In reality the only old ugly buildings left are Newman, Resteraunt and Ag Science and eventually they will need to be modernized.

[Jackass]

Ag Science is an award winning building - from the concrete association of Ireland - which says it all.

I strongly dislike the UCD campus, from the loose pavings around the arts block, when it rains you stand on one and all the water spirts up onto your shoes and clothes, to the view over the lake at the library - apperantly a mission control centre custom shipped to UCD from the Soviet Union..

I really like where they've tar macced up around the science building, but it's kind of a tan colour and landscaped along the sides, I hope that is planned for the entire length of the walkway. But I'd definitely nuke the newman and JJ library buildings...

I actually love the bank of ireland building on Baggot st, it's like a fisher price sky scraper.

A Disgrace

jack presley wrote: »

UCD, Bank of Ireland on Baggott Street. Basically any building that was built in the 70's or early 80's (whenever that style of architecture was in vogue)

BOI Baggot St is a listed building. It's comparable to a famous skyscraper in New York (forget the name) only 60 stories shorter - still, it's far from an eyesore

My ugly buildings:
The 'new' Laughter Lounge
'Robocop' on Dame St
The entire Patrick St/Nicholas St west side (soulless, dead fronted apartment blocks)
Social Housing on Clanbrassil St
Stephens Green Shopping Centre

bb1234567

Nice pic of liberty hall lit up at night
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pandas/3992046871/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pandas/3993011930/

tony 2 tone

A Disgrace wrote: »

BOI Baggot St is a listed building. It's comparable to a famous skyscraper in New York (forget the name) only 60 stories shorter - still, it's far from an eyesore

My ugly buildings:
The 'new' Laughter Lounge
'Robocop' on Dame St
The entire Patrick St/Nicholas St west side (soulless, dead fronted apartment blocks)
Social Housing on Clanbrassil St
Stephens Green Shopping Centre

Totally agree with this and I'm living there. Also the area between the Swan pub and Aungier st DIT is pretty bad too. Ugly and boring apartments and offices.

loyatemu

Connolly House (aka Marino CFE) on Amiens St. - really really ugly...

Hannibal

juan.kerr wrote: »

There's a fair few other eyesores in that area, like the one across from the rear entrance to Tara Street Train Station (to the left of the fire brigade station) or the one right beside the Screen Cinema (think it is An Post). And the Tara Street Train Station offices facing onto Tara Street.

Yeah An Post own that and are strangely back using it the last year after it being vacant for what lookedd like ten years. Lot of drab office buildings like this all round the city, Stevie Wonder would design better

The ones I always hated were the ESB on Fitzwilliam St, the Dublin corpo HQ and the Central Bank.. and I found out that all three had the same architect

stoneill

This place:

Karen23

Seanchai wrote: »

What eyesores in Dublin need to be imploded?

Ballymun Shopping Centre (Photograph)
The Towers pub (on left of photo) in Ballymun is like all the depressive mental illnesses in one place.

Both of these were due to be demolished as part of Ballymun Regeneration but money ran out and the plans have been scrapped. I pity anyone in Ballymun who doesn't drive and has no choice but to shop here , its awful. It's owned by Treasury Holdings

This was to be the new shopping centre http://www.treasuryholdings.com/to_let/lettings_ireland/retail_lettings_ireland/greater_dublin_area_retail/spring_cross_retail_let/

Irish Steve

most of the out of town shopping centres should be flattened and rebuilt with properly designed road structures and parking areas, with pedestrians and vehicles properly segregated.

Not sure which is worst, Blanchardstown is dire, Liffey valley is not good, nor is Tallaght, Airside is a pain, Dundrum is the pits, and most of the older ones are not much better.

The sort of thing that's wrong is insufficient covered walkways, so pedestrians get drowned when it rains, no sensible design avoiding pedestrian crossings every 10 feet, crazy access to the roads around the area (especially Blanchardstown), the main flow routes of the car parks pass outside the doors of the shops, highly dangerous for parents with small children that are only sort of under control, and so the list goes on.

Toby Take a Bow

jack presley wrote: »

UCD, Bank of Ireland on Baggott Street

I love that building.

chopser

The Loopline bride is the worst eyesore in Dublin.
Completely separated Dublin and Dubliners pysche from the sea. (Do people even associate Dublin as a port City ?)
Blocks the view of one of Dublins finest building (the custom House) and blocks the view of one whole side of the City to the point that the the whole side east of it only got developed in the boom and then very poorly so.

spurious

loyatemu wrote: »

Connolly House (aka Marino CFE) on Amiens St. - really really ugly...

Ah yes, lovely North Strand Tech..
I worked there for about ten years. It was originally supposed to have two identical blocks with a lift shaft between them. Where the other block would have been is now the memorial garden to those who died in the North Strand bombings.

When I was there, I don't think there was a window that could open that could shut properly again - a triumph of design. The flat roof leaked badly too. The stair block had an open unbarricaded drop of about 90 feet. Just what you'd need in a school.

Bigcheeze

I don't understand the hate for the convention centre. I love looking down the quays from the Matt Talbot bridge early in the morning or at night.

The docklands area is new development, there was nothing much there to preserve so it's an opportunity to do something different. Did people really want mock-Georgian four-storey buildings there?

Also I loved the spire from long before it was built. People seem to have finally copped the obvious.......something that slim won't dominate a city skyline.

Dyr

Karen23 wrote: »

Both of these were due to be demolished as part of Ballymun Regeneration but money ran out and the plans have been scrapped. I pity anyone in Ballymun who doesn't drive and has no choice but to shop here , its awful. It's owned by Treasury Holdings

This was to be the new shopping centre http://www.treasuryholdings.com/to_let/lettings_ireland/retail_lettings_ireland/greater_dublin_area_retail/spring_cross_retail_let/

The Money didnt run out they blew it all :pac:

"Half a job a for twice the price" as Dustin used to say

Karen23

Bambi wrote: »

The Money didnt run out they blew it all :pac:

"Half a job a for twice the price" as Dustin used to say

True , the whole project has been left half finished yet they are persisting with building a link road from Santry lane through a housing estate to where the new centre was to be. Residents are objecting due to the traffic it will bring and its no longer needed as the centre is not being built but BRL have said it was part of the ' Masterplan ' so its going ahead.

bb1234567

Bigcheeze wrote: »

I don't understand the hate for the convention centre. I love looking down the quays from the Matt Talbot bridge early in the morning or at night.

The docklands area is new development, there was nothing much there to preserve so it's an opportunity to do something different. Did people really want mock-Georgian four-storey buildings there?

Also I loved the spire from long before it was built. People seem to have finally copped the obvious.......something that slim won't dominate a city skyline.

I dont understand the hate either...the convention centre is one of my favourite buildings in dublin actually..so modern and cool.

Miss Lockhart

I love the Poolbeg towers and the Spire but otherwise I pretty much agree with everyone else here. I can see how Liberty Hall could look good with some renovation but right now it's a disaster and I wouldn't miss it.

The old Ormond Hotel is one that makes me particularly sad - it used to be very popular with Joyce tourists - it's embarrassing the state it's in now.

I think a lot of Dublin looks awful from above compared to other cities - I'm particularly struck by this when I look out from the restaurant in Debenhams on Henry Street - seems to give a particularly bad view, including the horrific Central Bank sticking up in the middle of it all.

John_Rambo

bb1234567 wrote: »

I dont understand the hate either...

It's very fashionable to hate or "be against" anything that was built, developed, thought of or done during the boom years (unless it's a motorway of course!), particularly if it's in Dublin. The pleasure from the amount of thanks some people get on boards.ie is irresistible when they point out what they deem to be outrageous celtic tiger spending!

The Spire is cool, so is the Convention centre, both great additions to the city and the country.

It's just not cool to say so.

Miss Lockhart wrote: »

the horrific Central Bank

:eek:

AsianDub

[Jackass] wrote: »

In fairness, that is a nice picture of it, at night with the lights, but it is in terrible condition.

Re the poolbeg towers, I think there's an affinitey in Dublin towards certain structures that people call iconic, but all the same, in my opinion at least, are absolute eye sores. I appreciate the iconic nature of the towers in Dublin, but if you step back and take a purely aesthetic view point, it looks like a run down nuclear power station that absolute destroys an otherwise beautiful beach view, with stunning sun rises on that beach...



I don't know, maybe it's just a matter of taste. If you've ever been around the poolbeg area (such as the walk out to the pier and the lighthouse) a massive factory and power station in the middle of a protected park and one of the most scenic walks in the city ruins it imo, it would be such a spectacular area if it was knocked down and big parks were put there in place of it...

As I said before I do like the Poolbeg towers but I have to agree that rest of it is an eyesore. All those cranes, warehouses and containers. I know Dublin is a port city and it's necessary to have them there though. It does ruin the walk on Sandymount Strand a bit.

I remember reading before about plans to move to port to Balbriggan a good few years back. I wonder what happened that plan? Would it even be a good idea?

Nice pic btw

Seanchai

uch wrote: »

Dalymount Park, Kip

Yep, as is Phibsboro Shopping Centre next to it. Could somebody please resurrect that Celtic Tiger proposal to implode the latter and extend a new shopping centre on to the former?

Seanchai

[Jackass] wrote: »

In fairness, that is a nice picture of it, at night with the lights, but it is in terrible condition.

Re the poolbeg towers, I think there's an affinitey in Dublin towards certain structures that people call iconic, but all the same, in my opinion at least, are absolute eye sores. I appreciate the iconic nature of the towers in Dublin, but if you step back and take a purely aesthetic view point, it looks like a run down nuclear power station that absolute destroys an otherwise beautiful beach view, with stunning sun rises on that beach...



I don't know, maybe it's just a matter of taste. If you've ever been around the poolbeg area (such as the walk out to the pier and the lighthouse) a massive factory and power station in the middle of a protected park and one of the most scenic walks in the city ruins it imo, it would be such a spectacular area if it was knocked down and big parks were put there in place of it...

That photo does look great. I would be much more concerned about the putrid stench over the entire area from Sandymount to Blackrock that recurrently appears on hot days during the summer, but gets depressingly little attention. The area around the two towers could be developed very nicely, but we don't in all honesty know if Dublin Port will be moving to Bremore in the next ten years. I think that would be a good idea, but the state needs to give certainty on what's happening amid the continuing rumours.

Seanchai

bb1234567 wrote: »

I quite like that building actually.Theres a lot worse out there, thats for sure.

But on the corner of D'Olier Street and Burgh Quay it does stick out like a sore thumb.