Looking for info on demolished buildings on St Stephen's Green West

d4guy

Hey there, I can remember that the west side of St Stephen's Green became very dilapidated compared to the other three sides from around the time the Dandelion Market closed in the early 80s. I am trying to piece together what establishments were in operation from the mid 70s up to the time the St Stephen's Green Shopping Centre was built.

From memory, I remember the Green Cinema, Rice's pub on the corner and the original sinnotts bar. I seem to remember the sheepskin shop was down around where mothercare is now and a shop called Gerry's but details are a bit sketchy.

If anyone can give me some info or better still, post up pictures of that area around the time of 1974-1988, I would be most grateful.

BeerNut

Thom's Directory will give you a list of what was where, building by building, in any given year. The public library on Pearse Street should be able to help you out.

alastair

couple of pics might prompt memories:

spurious

This is the Thom's listing for 1969.

neris

in relation to now where are those 2 pics of? is the 1st 1 where the rcsi and the old halifax buidling/hotel/tgi friday is?

Cathmandooo

neris wrote: »

in relation to now where are those 2 pics of? is the 1st 1 where the rcsi and the old halifax buidling/hotel/tgi friday is?

Yes the first photo looks to have the rcsi building on the left, the second photo is a continuation of those buildings up towards the king St junction, although the photos are taken at different times, you can match the buildings up. Great photos! I love the cinema!

DaireQuinlan

First picture is taken post 1974, Blazing saddles is playing in the Green. Second picture is post 1971, judging by The Last Picture Show. I'd safely add a year to the release dates for both films, I remember it used to take an age for any newly released films to get showings here :-D

alastair

DaireQuinlan wrote: »

First picture is taken post 1974, Blazing saddles is playing in the Green. Second picture is post 1971, judging by The Last Picture Show. I'd safely add a year to the release dates for both films, I remember it used to take an age for any newly released films to get showings here :-D

The first picture is at least 1977. There's a Mk2 Granada parked up, and they were only introduced in '77. Also Skids poster on the wall - they only formed in '77, and only played Dublin in late '80. I'd say it's early '81.

The second photo is at least '73, as the Opel Kadett van is a type C, introduced in '73. Also, the serial number on the door of the P&T Renault 4 van has the year of roll-out of the fleet vehicle in the last two digits - looks like '73 to me, which would make it one of the first round of orange and white livery vans.

Cathmandooo

Love the detective work!

In the 1986 Thom's Directory a lot changed, 123 RCSI, 124-126 demolished, 127 The Green Cinema was standing alone, 128-138 demolished. Would love a photo of that year! 139-142 still remained trading

alastair

Cloudy memory: One of the buildings beside the Green cinema collapsed one morning. It was pretty much just a facade by that stage if memory serves. There was a demolition of a couple of buildings after that, ahead of construction of the shopping centre and adjacent buildings.

The second image must actually be '73, as there's no sign of the Dandelion market entrance, and the market moved there in '73.

alastair

As requested: post first round of demolitions.

Cathmandooo

Wow that's an incredible photo. That cinema must have been very well built, thanks for posting it.

d4guy

Hey thanks to everyone for their contributions so far. I had forgotten a lot of how it looked at the time. The Shopping Centre must have been in the planning stages for a long time before building work actually commenced. I must not forget South King Street, I have no real memory of that side other than Rice's and Sinnott's but it would be great if anyone can shed any light on that street. I remember at the time when Rice's was knocked, a lot of people were upset to see it go. I always think of it when I am waiting for a friend at the main entrance to the shopping centre.

I checked Thom's directory for a list of businesses and this was a great source of information. Of course, if anyone has more information or memories from late 60s to late 80s that would be fantastic.

Thanks again!!

Nekarsulm

If you can get a copy of Frank McDonald's "The destruction of Dublin" it may help.

ollaetta

These fit the bill I think. Corner of the Green and Sth. King Street and Entrance to Dandelion Market

d4guy

Great photos. A very similar thing is happening on Dawson Street/Molesworth Street right now. When the demolition started there, it reminded me of this from the mid 80s.

Teyla Emmagan

I remember the cinema! I was just thinking "it was there long after anything else", and so it was as per the photo. That cinema is one of my earliest memories of Dublin for some reason.

d4guy

Yes, as far as I remember it was one of the last buildings to be demolished on the site. Rice's and the House of Cards closed in late 1985 and was knocked in April 1986 and the cinema in July 1987. I am open to correction but that's from memory and a few things I've read.

I'd love to know the name of the last film ever shown in the cinema!

ongarboy

Didn't Stephens Green SC open in 1988 (Dublin Millenium year)? It seems it went up fairly quickly if the cinema was still operating the previous summer of 87. Or did the cinema form part of the separate Fitzwilliam hotel/Chicago Pizza Pie factory development which came later?

Dodge

View from the other side. Marked early 80s. Love this type of stuff

https://twitter.com/EricLuke2/status/781223361330483200

d4guy

Yes, the shopping centre did not go down as far as where the Green Cinema was. The address for the cinema was 127 St Stephen's Green which is where the Fitzwilliam Hotel is now. If you check out some of the demolition pics which were posted you can see that there was a large gap between the cinema and where Rice's Bar was. After the cinema was demolished, the site remained unoccupied right up to the late 90s.

Mena Mitty

Early 80's There was a furriers at the bottom of Harcourt Street. A leather shop sold Toner jackets and an Indian clothes shop between Rices and the Dandelion entrance. Advance records was around the cornet from Rices. Faiways bookies. The old memory is not what it used to be. I have a vague memory of an old lady dressed in black sitting on a chair outside her secondhand clothes shop on South King Street.

d4guy

Yes I remember Advance Records, I can hardly remember what was down at the back of the Shopping Centre where you enter the car park opposite the Mercer. Also can anyone tell me what shop was there before bus stop newsagent at 52 Grafton Street? I am guessing the newsagent is there since the early 90s but I could be wrong.

newacc2015

Dodge wrote: »

View from the other side. Marked early 80s. Love this type of stuff

https://twitter.com/EricLuke2/status/781223361330483200

Same. DCC has some amazing achieves. It is hard to believe that a fair amount of Dublin City until very recently was single storey. A lot Georgian/Victorian buildings were so neglected that the upper floors collapsed in onto themselves.

I find it hilarious when the like of An Taisc are waffling on about the heritage of Dublin/the city skyline. When really in the last 100 years between the 1916 rising and neglect during the non-stop economic decline from the 1920s to the 1980s we have rebuilt a lot of the City. You can see in the photos of the Cinema, that it is clearly a 1930s style building. Where as RSCI is a old building that would have been badly damaged in 1916

Dr Crayfish

Amazing photos. What's Keiller? And Little Chip? God I'd love to have a drink in R Rice's.

Edit: After reading up on Rice's, might not be my kinda pub...

ollaetta

Two more of South King Street from the DCC Archives:
South King Street towards Mercer Hospital 1973
South King Street looking towards the Green 1973

DCC Libraries have put together an amazing collection of old Dublin photos. Dublin City Council Digital Collections
Unfortunately, it seems to be hosted on a very slow server so navigation can be a bit of a pain. Minor quibble though as there is great stuff there.

d4guy

Keiller's is a marmalade from Dundee, Scotland. It was a very prominent sign on that corner for many years. I should add for the poster above, Rice's had a mixed crowd and Bobby was a very nice man. His pub ran for 26 years. I am a little unsure as to when the pub actually closed. My guess is late '85 or early '86. I saw an RTE archive clip with Charlie Bird broadcast on 11 June 1986 and it showed Rice's and a couple of the neighbouring buildings were still standing.

Any more memories or pics would be great!

I would like to know when the first building on the site was demolished, again a guess, I reckon shortly after 1981, the closure of the Dandelion Market and it was a gradual decline ever since which makes me think there obviously was a plan for many years before construction of the shopping centre actually began.

d4guy

Great Pics, Ollaetta!

ongarboy

d4guy wrote: »

I would like to know when the first building on the site was demolished, again a guess, I reckon shortly after 1981, the closure of the Dandelion Market and it was a gradual decline ever since which makes me think there obviously was a plan for many years before construction of the shopping centre actually began.

I imagine site assembly often takes years as you need to negotiate with existing long held leases and/or actual ownerships and buyouts of businesses so considering you had to deal with an entire length of South King Street and half of Stephens Green west, 7 years beween 81 and the opening of the shopping centre in 88 seems quiet reasonable. Compare it to the debacle that is the western half of O'Connell Street from the Carlton, Fingal offices and Royal Dublin hotel that have been abandoned for decades, the SSG development was pretty swift. From the great photos above, there seemed to be lots of businesses on King Street - I wonder did any of them steadfastly refuse to sell until the very end? Would CPOs even have been allowed as it was a commercial venture rather than a public interest transport development (eg road/Luas etc)?

ollaetta

ollaetta

Pity this one isn't clearer.

ollaetta

Found this cracker on Pinterest. The buildings looked great in 1946. Never saw it before and no idea what's written across it.

d4guy

Looks like Rice's held out until the end.

d4guy

May's music was at no 130 for a long time. And I have heard of Tasty's cafe beside the Green Cinema. Again anyone who can confirm this would be great!

ollaetta

From the 50s, Rices before it was Rices!

d4guy

Yes Eamonn was there from '56 to mid '60 before him it was the Four Provinces

Dodge

As an aside, when was Grafton St pedestrianised?

d4guy

1979 I believe

d4guy

I have got some pics from an outside source and will only share them once I have the Mod's (no Pun intended) approval

d4guy

That is one of the best pics I have seen here. thanks to Ollaetta!!

K.Flyer

d4guy wrote: »

1979 I believe

I think was early eighties, I clearly remember driving down it in traffic up to 80 - 81.

Dodge

From some of the pics here I believe it was 1980s as there are road markings visible on grafton street in some of them

Dodge

https://www.pinterest.com/donalallman/70s-80s-dublin/

Pinterest thread on 70s and 80s Dublin

ollaetta

Dodge wrote: »

As an aside, when was Grafton St pedestrianised?

Pedestrianisation of Grafton Street 1982

d4guy

Yes, you were right K Flyer 1982 it was. I seem to remember that it went one way perhaps that was the late 70s.

Dodge

Drive down Grafton Street (and elsewhere in Dublin) inn 1976

Grandeeod

d4guy wrote: »

Yes, as far as I remember it was one of the last buildings to be demolished on the site. Rice's and the House of Cards closed in late 1985 and was knocked in April 1986 and the cinema in July 1987. I am open to correction but that's from memory and a few things I've read.

I'd love to know the name of the last film ever shown in the cinema!

The Green cinema was sold in October 1987 to Doyles hotels. They closed it the following month and it was demolished in early 1988. The site of the Green cinema was derelict until 2002! Hard to believe. The office block that was built on the site housed Bank of Scotland until they ran!:D

It would of been two films screened last as the cinema had two screens by 1987. From memory one of them was Beverly Hills Cop II. It tended to get films that came off the Savoy, Adelphi and Carlton after a few weeks.

ollaetta

Pity this 1950s pic isn't clearer.

JupiterKid

I'm 41 but I can't really remember the buildings that were there before the shopping centre was built. I do know that the Dandelion Market occupied much of that location and a gay friendly bar, Rices, was located on the corner.

From the photos it doesn't look like the demolished building were of any special architectural merit - but neither is the St Stephens Green centre.

On a side note, I've heard that the Centre is due to be extensively refurbished, largely dispensing of its Mississippi Paddle steamer character.

Seth Brundle

JupiterKid wrote: »

On a side note, I've heard that the Centre is due to be extensively refurbished, largely dispensing of its Mississippi Paddle steamer character.

...presumably to be replaced by yet another sterile hub predominantly filled with British shops

d4guy

Yes, when you look back at the old pics, it's a shame that we lost our sense of being unique, with, for example, Mrs Doyle's Sweetshop, v & s victualler etc but one great gem was May's music, 130 St Stephen's Green.