Behold Broadstone Station, Dublin 7.
Erstwhile terminus of the MGW Railway.
Expectant gateway to the new Dublin Institute of Technology.
Neoclassical welcome to Phibsborough.
Now Look at it…
Ah here.
The Scarlet Phibsbernel writes…
Recently, the Luas Cross City project team have seen fit to erect a dirty great concrete wall in front of John Skipton Mulvany’s 1850 masterpiece, which conceals the lower floor of the façade from the street. In disbelief, the community have woken to the fact that the wall is not a temporary necessity due to the on-going tram works – but is intended to permanently hide this much loved building……
The retaining wall’s height is made excessive by a tall surmounting concrete parapet, which – we are told – is necessary if CIE staff are to be able to park their cars in front of this important and very rare piece of Egypt-inspired architecture…Locals have started an online petition, leading to a demonstration planned for Nov 19th.
Persons who appreciate beauty in stone, as well as those despising cack-handed planning are invited to support a neighbourhood which has both in spades.
Anyone?
UPDATE: Bus Éireann’s Nicola Cooke writes:
I’m the Bus Éireann Media & PR Manager and you have incorrectly stated that a wall built by Luas Cross City is for CIE staff to park their cars behind. This is incorrect. No staff cars are parked there, nor will they be in the future. It is also our understanding that when finished, this part of the project will be some sort of a green area with trees, or it will be pebbled.
Is that not a temporary wall?
but you can’t actually see the building from the road:
https://www.google.ie/maps/@53.3535,-6.2732148,3a,75y,313.47h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sg5HUQ_xiAdbWLPyydP7vow!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3Dg5HUQ_xiAdbWLPyydP7vow%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D327.80188%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656
Remember reading a a couple of years ago that the state payed a huge CPO to Maxol & JCDecaux to demolish all that jumble from in front of Broadstone to open it up for LUAS & DIT. Great joined up thinking that Luas have gone and covered it up again.
I’ll sign that petition
Exactly… it was less visible before than it is now… the complaining is a joke IMO
So the locals should be happy that luas, in their generosity, have only concealed one level from the street rather than both levels? Yes sir Master Luas, I sure will be happy with what I’m given
The complaint makes it sound like something previously visible is now blocked when the opposite has happened, in that more of the building is visible now than was before, that’s my point.
Where was the complainant before when it was more blocked? If they were aware of the issue why didn’t they complain when plans were drawn up?
This bangs of knee-jerk reactionary bullpoo.
From that last photo, it looks like theres a 6ft wall around the car park, that could just as easily be a railing. Why would anyone want to unnecessarily hide ANY of a building like that? Whoever in the Luas team came up with that lazy design belongs in the naughty corner
Don’t mind Clampers, he’s a good boy.
You really can’t.
This is so Broadsheet.
Maybe they plan to secretly demolish the building and divvy out all the stone for garden features and fancy gate posts in their own houses. That kind of thing was rampant in the 80s.
No it wasn’t.
Yes it was.
If you give me one instance where this actually happened, I will give you a million billion euro.
+1 …looking forward to the response :)
Yeah like I’m going to risk a court case to satisfy you.
I’ll give you brief details without being too specific.
Around 1989/90 an old granite wall which was state property was dismantled and replaced with a fake stone cladded wall as part of a larger bit of public works. Instead of the valuable cut granite being preserved and used to repair other similar walls, it was taken by a councillor and used to build a wall outside his own home.
There are other similar cases involving metalwork, lampposts, expensive stonework, cobble stones and woodwork being taken by state officials for personal use without payment.
Where’s this incredulity coming from?
You’re aware Irish politics and planning were rotten to the very core during this period, right? This is not a controversial thing.
Are you suggesting something isn’t controversial because it was commonplace in the past? Does that apply to other crimes?
Open to correction on this but the word at the time was that a famous pub in Drumcondra built their extension from bricks taken from Mountjoy prison’s refurbishment.
I’m not claiming this was in any way illegal by the way.
Its not exactly on subject, but before everyone goes and looks over there at the next thing.. Look at this photo. Anyone ever noticed the nice little sun-room that CIE built on the roof of the West Wing of the building? Must be a lovely view from up there. Well worth throwing off the symmetry of the station, making it look like a hunchback.
https://findwyerspodcast.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/dscf96281.jpg
Love the first photo. Very historic and interesting place. In the 19th century, one of Dublin’s most famous murders took place in the Broadstone building.
Do tell please…
Will have a look at the records for you, Bertie!
Cheers ears!
The fake photo you mean?
The car park here was also the original start of the Royal Canal, It was originally a raised basin with a pontoon bridge to the station, The derelict pub “the Harbour house” remained up to recently at the car park entrance as a reminder. The railway company eventually filled in the harbour when they bought the canal company to build their route alongside to Mullingar. Here’s how it used to look just after the railway opened. It’s occasionally open to the public and well worth the visit.
https://irishwaterwayshistory.com/2011/05/10/the-broadstone-pontoon/
Cheers!
I pass that building every day for the last 7 or 8 years or more…. and it’s more visible now, than it has been in all that time… what’s the beef, this is made up outrage, it was more hidden from view coming up Constitution Hill before, than it is now ffs….
btw, I’m delighted it’s more visible, and have enjoyed seeing more of it from the road.
Anyone else think it is more visible now than before?
You’re such an annoying breastie. Shut your face.
+1
Yes James, good boy, have a lie down or something.
while it will be more visible now restoration of the historical vista where the opportunity arises and essentially costs nothing would be standard good practice for the planners, it is a spectacular planning fail that this was not considered and conditioned as part of the development, someone has failed to do their job
“essentially costs nothing” …said who?
Who cares what you think? I thought I told you to shut up!
Sorry James’ ….lost the run of myself with my notional feelings of entitlement. I’ll try keep a reign on it for your benefit in future! :/
I said so
The bull has spoken !
All hail the bull.
make those fat slobs cycle their way to work, they all look like waddling sacks of lard, they can thank me later.
Concrete is often the lazy option, and always the ugly option. Surely a similar brick could have been sourced even if the wall needs to be that size/height?
Concrete can be beautiful but rarely is in Ireland
the issue isn’t the material, the issue is the wall itself, it is not necessary in this instance and the design should have been considered so that the view to and from the building is not interrupted
You can’t judge a project by what it looks like in the middle of construction.
It’ll look totally different when it’s done – the levels will be brought up inside the wall and the outside will be dressed in stone.
Though I do agree that the plan to allow parking in front is silly, the wall would have to go there anyway.
What’s going on with the retaining wall? What was the excavation for?
Either way it looks like a warzone – it has to be some kind of temporary works?
I reckon the folks complaining just haven’t looked at the plans…
http://ggda.ie/assets/Broadstone-Image.png
http://www.luascrosscity.ie/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Broadstone_1.jpg
Oh It’s a Luas underpass!
I like. Carry on, Luas.
The most 80’s song, bar none.
https://youtu.be/QjA-aFWOZOw
The wall isn’t a temporary measure – it’ll stay after everything is prettied up and all the diggers are gone- which I think is their point. Why should an ugly wall be permitted to obscure half of a lovely old building like that so unnecessarily? From the artist’s rendering, you won’t be able to see it at all from the tram when its up and running if it remains at that height.
Yeah it looks like a retaining wall as the Luas runs well below the threshold level, kind of unavoidable. And it’s obviously not in it’s finished state.
The ugly wall should be permitted because if you demolish it the building might slide onto the tracks?
I’m no expert on rail but I’d imagine ramping the Luas up to get a good view of a nice building and then ramping back down would be an engineering challenge and very expensive. The plaza looks nice, the building looks accessible to the public, trams aren’t supposed to take scenic routes.
Did you know the District Line in London actually goes underground through Westminster? Can’t see a thing.
in those images the wall is glazed above grade so as not to obscure the view of the building, in the photo at the top of the thread the wall extends up to form the guarding and blocks the view. this may be due to two factors – 1) value engineering by the development agency and/or 2) the use of the envelope of the front of the building as a car park for CIE staff requires the cantilever guarding to perform a vital structural function, making concrete a more likely material. It appears they have abandoned the use of a glazed balustrade in favour of a concrete wall to allow over-entitled staff park in front of the monument, sacrificing an important architectural and historical relationship in the project.
Drawings show a fence, which you can see the building through. Why did it become a wall? I read elsewhere this was as crash protection for Bus Eireann car park. But Nicola Cooke of Bus Eireann says above that it won’t be a car park. So what’s going on?
It’ll only be hidden if you’re close to the wall.
It’ll be well framed otherwise, especially with all if the nice spaces planned.
You can’t expect to see the building from everywhere in the city.
For reference, this is what it used to look like before the canal was removed, when there was a retaining wall that extended out much further – http://omg.wthax.org/8sjbzJ.jpg
_______ you are clearly posting to defend this from a position of knowledge and/or a stake in this development, perhaps as part of the design team, can you confirm or deny that the original intent was for a glass balustrade for architectural reasons and it has been changed to an upstand RC wall to cater for staff parking?
Why is everything a conspiracy?
I just spent five minutes googling it to see what it will look like and what it did look like to actually have some information to base an opinion on…
No I don’t work for those folks or have any connection whatsoever. Just a passing interest.
Glass wall: seems unlikely that it would ever have been a realistic plan. How long do you think one would survive?
+1 all the way!
I’m not alleging a conspiracy, it wouldn’t be a conspiracy for someone who has worked on a project to post in defence of it, you appear to have detailed knowledge of the project is all – fair enough I guess you are good at quick searches
A glass balustrade walls or a lighter steel railing that does not encumber the view are perfectly suitable and are commonplace in the public realm, if you look out for them you’ll see them everywhere. Toughened and laminated glass can be incredibly robust, it is not space age tech or anything, the glazing specialist down the road can supply and install it
You can make glass very tough and robust…but not bored-teenager proof!
yes you can make it bored teenager proof
By “nice spaces”, are you referring to the handful of parking spaces for the bus drivers? There’s lots of space for them at the back of the site; an opportunity for making the front an even nicer space that the non semi-state masses might enjoy. Us plebs.
Before the Foster aqueduct was pulled down in the 50s (don’t get me started), it was the approach to Broadstone, and being up high – you could enjoy a lovely view of it.
I look forward to seeing the next work by the responsible architect.
Your prayers have been answered in the update :)
Nicola Cooke of Bus Eireann might like to sit down with opposite number in LCC. Statement by LCC on the subject to the Irish Times in October:
“They responded by pointing out that the parapet was needed for “public safety reasons”, to prevent vehicles using the space in front of the Broadstone building from falling onto the Luas stop area below. This arises because the “public space” in question is being used as a car park by Bus Éireann staff. The finished wall is to be clad in “panels of white limestone”.
If the wall’s parapet is unnecessary- why the hell is it there!?
http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/the-sublime-obscured-an-irishman-s-diary-on-the-once-great-vista-of-broadstone-station-1.2830370
That link says nothing about a ‘car park’, it mentions that cars would need to be prevented from falling onto the luas, but nowhere does it say there is or will be a permanent car park in that space, as you have eluded to in the quote.
Is there another link with a source for that assertion? One saying there’s a car park going in front of the building?, thanks
it shouldn’t be used as a car park first of all – however if so required there are other design solutions to the problem, a glass balustrade or light steel railing could be employed to maximise the view with parking spaces held back from the edge and bollards used to prevent the risk of vehicles losing control and driving through and over – also from the images the wall is much higher than required – there has been no attempt to mitigate the visual obstruction
The picture is a bit misleading.
There’ll be a lot more infill and it’ll look right when it’s done.
All building work looks ugly before it’s finished.
Looks like Nicola, the PR person from Bus Eireann has thrown Luas under the bus.
Perhaps ask Nichola in Bus Eireann why they have let Broadstone Station fall into a state of semi dereliction see how. They soon that one! I was appalled at the state it’s in a few years back on an open house tour, it looks to be in an even worse state now!