| City Hall, Dublin | |
|---|---|
Halla na Cathrach, Baile Átha Cliath | |
 Dublin City Hall from Cork Hill | |
 | |
| Former names | The Royal Exchange |
| General information | |
| Location | Dame Street, Dublin 2,Dublin,Ireland |
| Coordinates | 53°20′38″N6°16′02″W / 53.343854°N 6.267154°W /53.343854; -6.267154 |
| Elevation | 8 metres (26 ft) |
| Construction started | 1769 |
| Completed | 1779 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Thomas Cooley |
TheCity Hall, Dublin (Irish:Halla na Cathrach, Baile Átha Cliath), originally theRoyal Exchange, is a civic building inDublin,Ireland. It was built between 1769 and 1779, to the designs of architectThomas Cooley, and is a notable example of 18th-centuryarchitecture in the city. Originally used by the merchants of the city, it is today the formal seat ofDublin City Council.
City Hall is located on a slope on Dame Street, at the southern end of Parliament Street, on Dublin's southern side. It stands in front of part ofDublin Castle, the centre of British government in Ireland until 1922.[1]
The building occupied the site of what was formerly Cork House, the home of theEarl of Cork until his death in 1643, as well as Lucas's Coffee-House.[2] Prior to that point, the site was occupied by the church ofSt. Mary del Dam from whichDame Street gets its name.[3]
Parliament Street had been laid-out in 1753,[4] providing a continuation of Capel Street on the north bank of theLiffey, across the newly widened Essex Bridge.[5] Originally built as theRoyal Exchange, the structure was designed byThomas Cooley, who had won a design competition run for the project between 1768 and 1769.[6] The foundation stone was laid by theLord Lieutenant of Ireland,George Townshend, 4th Viscount Townshend on 2 August 1769 and was officially opened for business in 1779.[7][8]
The function of the building was to act as a form ofstock exchange and to provide a meeting place for Dublin's businessmen. It was also close to theold Custom House making it convenient for overseas merchants. The cost of building the exchange was met by theParliament of Ireland, and this is reflected by the initials "SPQH", standing for "Senatus PopulusQue Hibernicus", meaning "The senate and people of Ireland" (an Irish version ofSPQR).[9]
The city government had previously been located in the mediævalTholsel at the corner of Nicholas Street and Christchurch Place, approximately 300 metres to the west where thePeace Park is now located as well in various other forms and locations including theThingmount near present-day Suffolk Street.[10] In the late 18th century, meetings were held at what is nowCity Assembly House onSouth William Street.[11]
In 1815 the metal balustrade of the exchange fell, owing to the pressure against it by a crowd, which led to the death of nine people, with many more injured. This led to crowd restrictions in the building.[12]
In the 1850s,Dublin Corporation bought the Royal Exchange and converted it for use by the city government. The changes included the construction of partitions around the ambulatory, the addition of a new staircase from the rotunda to the upper floors, and the sub-division of the vaults for storage. On 30 September 1852, the Royal Exchange was renamedCity Hall at the first meeting of Dublin City Council held there. Theward name "Royal Exchange" was retained, corresponding to the currentelectoral divisions of Royal Exchange A and B.[13] A series offrescos were later added, representing the regions of Ireland.[14]
During the1916 Easter Rising, the City Hall was used as agarrison for theIrish Citizen Army.Sean Connolly seized the building using a key which he obtained as he worked in the motor department and had access to the building. There were 35 people based here, mostly women. It was in this area where the first casualty of the rising, a guard named James O’Brien, occurred at Dublin Castle and he was shot by Sean Connolly while on duty. In total, the entire siege lasted about 12 hours.[15]
The exterior of the building is primarily made out of whitePortland stone from a quarry in Dorset.[16] The carved capitals were by Simon Vierpyl, and plasterwork by thestuccodore Charles Thorpe. The neo-classical building contains a central entrance hall orRotunda, with a large dome supported by twelve columns which are surrounded by an ambulatory where merchants strolled and discussed business meetings.[16] The twelve columns supporting the dome are 32 feet (9.8 m) high and the dome itself is another 10 feet (3.0 m) high above that.[7]
Patrick Wyse Jackson, curator of the Geological Museum in Trinity College, assessed the building in 1993 as part of his book"The Building Stones of Dublin: A Walking Guide" and made the following observation:[17]
Some council meetings take place in City Hall.[18] Dublin Corporation itself was renamed in the early 21st century asDublin City Council, previously the name of the assembly of councillors only. Most City Council staff work in the newer,brutalist style, Civic Offices, controversially built from 1979 on the site of a national monument, the Viking city foundations onWood Quay, a short distance away.[19]
There is an exhibition on the history of Dublin City, called "Dublin City Hall, The Story of the Capital", located in the vaults of the building.[20]
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[Council] meetings are convened in City Hall or other locations around the city
| International | |
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| Geographic | |
53°20′38″N6°16′02″W / 53.344012°N 6.26725°W /53.344012; -6.26725
