| Powerscourt House | |
|---|---|
 Main entrance | |
  Location within Central Dublin | |
| Alternative names | Powerscourt Townhouse Centre |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Palladian |
| Address | 59 South William Street |
| Town or city | Dublin |
| Country | Ireland |
| Coordinates | 53°20′32.05″N6°15′42.54″W / 53.3422361°N 6.2618167°W /53.3422361; -6.2618167 |
| Named for | Richard Wingfield, 3rd Viscount Powerscourt |
| Groundbreaking | 1771 (1771) |
| Completed | 1774; 251 years ago (1774) |
| Technical details | |
| Material | granite |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Robert Mack |
Powerscourt House is the formerDublintownhouse ofViscount Powerscourt and now thePowerscourt Townhouse Centre, located onSouth William Street, Dublin.
It was constructed in the eighteenth century forRichard Wingfield, 3rd Viscount Powerscourt.[1] He was a member of theIrish House of Lords. The townhouse enabled him and his family to stay there when they were visiting from theirPowerscourt Estate inEnniskerry,County Wicklow.
The house was designed by Robert Mack and dates from between 1771 and 1774, and has been characterised as the "last-gaspPalladianism on a grand scale on a narrow street". The court at the rear of the building was created with the addition of three brown-brick office buildings from 1809 to 1811.[2]
Within a couple of years of the abolition of theParliament of Ireland, the viscount sold this Dublin residence since he received his seat now at the House of Lords in London. Many other peers also sold their palatial Dublin residences, which led to an economic and cultural decline of the city.[citation needed]
The government bought the property for £15,000[3] and between 1811 and 1835 the Stamp Office, where impressedstamp duty newspaper stamps, a form ofrevenue stamp were applied to newspapers, journals and periodicals, was located in Powerscourt House.[4]
Powerscourt House was purchased and redeveloped as a shopping centre between 1978 and 1981[2] by Robin Power. The journalistFrank McDonald described the conversion of the building as "imaginative" and "the city's smartest shopping centre".[5][1]
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