The Outlet Store - South Great George's Street

Wheety

Does anyone know what's happening to this building? It's been closed for a very long time. It's a large premises in a prime location so why is no one developing it? I know there was a fire at one stage and you see this when looking at the upper windows.

I also imagine it's protected but surely it can be gutted on the inside and done up?

Sold for around €7m in 2015? The Indian restaurant is gone too after been given notice of redevelopment.

https://www.dublininquirer.com/2016/06/28/vacancy-watch-long-stretch-south-great-georges-street/

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/commercial-property/victorian-d2-retail-block-for-6m-1.1955173

wattlendaub

I always wonder what the inside looks like when I'm waiting at that bus stop in the picture.

Quick, someone grab a prybar and do some urban exploration for us.

ongarboy

I moved to dublin in 1997 and it looked like that back then too. Hard to believe it lay idle during the Celtic tiger and again now in such a prime area.

andekwarhola

wattlendaub wrote: »

I always wonder what the inside looks like when I'm waiting at that bus stop in the picture.

Im guessing, sh1t 80s department store.

Gavin "shels"

andekwarhola wrote: »

Im guessing, sh1t 80s department store.

Inside was like a cross between an old school Pennys (similar to the one in Rathfarmham still) and Frawleys. Always a smell of damp even when it was open!

Such a pity. I love St Great Georges street.

wakka12

I wish they'd atleast remove that unsightly 'outlet store' overhand thing that looks like its going to fall on somebody any day now

Wheety

Does anyone know if the fire was caused by squatters living there? Or is that likely to be the reason?

If I win Euromillions tomorrow, I'm going to try and buy it and do something cool with it. :cool:

Maybe a huge donut/doughnut shop.

ollaetta

Wheety wrote: »

Does anyone know if the fire was caused by squatters living there? Or is that likely to be the reason?

There's an interesting story as to how it was burned down. It was a very fine Dockrells Hardware Shop and it was still in business when the fire happened in, I'm guessing, the early 80s or so.

It was allegedly arson and older posters may remember the name of a fairly outspoken public figure who was linked to it. Never proven I think so I can't post a name.

L1011

ollaetta wrote: »

There's an interesting story as to how it was burned down. It was a very fine Dockrells Hardware Shop and it was still in business when the fire happened in, I'm guessing, the early 80s or so.

It was allegedly arson and older posters may remember the name of a fairly outspoken public figure who was linked to it. Never proven I think so I can't post a name.

Mannix Flynn was convicted for it although he protests his innocence

Birneybau

L1011 wrote: »

Mannix Flynn was convicted for it although he protests his innocence

Delighted, can't stand him

odyssey06

If someone takes it on the council debate to discuss any planning permission will be textbook ironic if Mannix still about!

Gavin "shels"

Passed it last night at 7pm - such a waste of prime plot of land. Genuinely surprised it hasn't been snapped up for hotel use.

andekwarhola

sugarman wrote: »

It was a hardware shop for years, only changed to the outlet store in recent years.. and by recent I actually mean 15-20 years ago

As far as I remember, your man that owned that business was the same lad that had the soccer shop down Talbot St and Cathedral St that closed down in the last few years.

One of the few places you could buy "foreign" jersies in Ireland in the 80s and 90s ...used love looking at all the Italian and Spanish club stuff

Wasn't there a soccer jersey shop on Lower George's Street too in the 90s. Same side as The George. Same deal, very good for getting obscure jerseys and a nice lad that ran it.

Marcusm

L1011 wrote: »

Mannix Flynn was convicted for it although he protests his innocence

And he was 15 at the time.

Gavin "shels"

sugarman wrote: »

Pretty sure it was the same place, moved around quite a bit.

Don't think so. If memory serves me right, the one on Georges St South was run by the same lad from the Soccer Shop on Cathedral St.

Was it in the same spot as Pitt Bros now? Can't for the life of me remember.

Baggly

The Outlet shop, which was the last tenant to my memory was open for about 4 months when i was in college in Aungier St (this is about 10 years ago now). They had portable temporary railings selling off odd size and 3-4 year old sports merchandise. I popped in once to take a look but didnt get anything.

I would imagine it closed around 2008 or 2009; so an awful shame it hasnt been done up. Id imagine someone is sitting on it and speculating the market to sell the space - and thus doesnt want a tenant in there.

If it does get sold on, im sure we will have another trendy overpriced cocktail bar to enjoy, at least on the ground floor.

miamee

Gavin shels wrote: »

Don't think so. If memory serves me right, the one on Georges St South was run by the same lad from the Soccer Shop on Cathedral St.

Was it in the same spot as Pitt Bros now? Can't for the life of me remember.

Looks like it (the old soccer shop) might be the Oxfam shop now; old address and Google image

Incidentally, I found this thread about it from when it closed 10 years ago!

CeilingFly

41 – 46 South Great Georges Street, D2

Owners: Grosam Properties Ltd, 39 Northumberland Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4

Substantial property development, retail and retaurant experience between the two directors.

Wheety

Yeah the article I linked in the OP mentions Grosam. But says they bought it in 2015 and planning permission seemed to lapse a few times before then. Jaipur told to vacate the corner unit in 2015 too when the sale wen through.

Wonder when they'll start working on it.

Gavin "shels"

miamee wrote: »

Incidentally, I found this thread about it from when it closed 10 years ago!

3rd and 4th post... I haven't gone away :pac:

Gavin "shels"

sugarman wrote: »

Did you happen to nip into your man for closing down sale 2/3 years back on cathedral st? Had a rake of stuff from the stock rooms from the 90s 00s brand new with tags. Was great for a rummage.

Think I was away if memory serves me right - either way, only jerseys I own are Shels tops and very old Ireland tops from when I was a kid.

Dodge

Soccer Shop was on Aungier Street for a bit too, before moving to George’s St

Bought my first ever goalkeeper jersey there because the jerseys I had to wear for school/club were disgraceful. Ha

OneEightSeven

A long-shuttered Dublin city centre building is getting a facelift

Gavin "shels"

Looks to be some serious gutting going on in this building this week! Hopefully it progresses fast enough.

miamee

Yes they have been working away at that since before Christmas, the smell out of the place any time I walked by (round on Stephen's St side) was just that smell of 'old' and damp, I can only imagine what the inside was like.

L1011

The discussion previously about the Dockrells fire - I believe this was where they moved after the fire rather than where they were at the time of the fire

The corner of this that was the Indian restaurant and some of the rest at least was a hotel until 1950 at least - the Red Lion Hotel. And it'll now be a Premier Inn.

miamee

I took this photo yesterday where some of the old signage has been revealed. It's not much to look at but I was wondering what the red lettering underneath is? It looks like it used to say "Rio" maybe? I have no memory of this building as anything else, we rarely went down that part of town as kids so would be interested to know*.



* I used to be convinced that Cassidys had been here but I've been told it was the other side of the road so I'm not relying on my very hazy memory!

Gavin "shels"

miamee wrote: »

Yes they have been working away at that since before Christmas, the smell out of the place any time I walked by (round on Stephen's St side) was just that smell of 'old' and damp, I can only imagine what the inside was like.

The smell of damp was even there when the Outlet was open!!

L1011

miamee wrote: »

* I used to be convinced that Cassidys had been here but I've been told it was the other side of the road so I'm not relying on my very hazy memory!

1986 Cassidys was 52-57, now subsumed by the Dunnes HQ - this is the other side of the road.

This was "Argus Furniture" in '86 which doesn't help with the partial sign. Don't have access to a new Thoms Directory right now.

ollaetta

L1011 wrote: »

The discussion previously about the Dockrells fire - I believe this was where they moved after the fire rather than where they were at the time of the fire.

No, Dockrells were there for many years, back to the 1800's according to this: Dockrells Architects

L1011

ollaetta wrote: »

No, Dockrells were there for many years, back to the 1800's according to this: Dockrells Architects

38-40 is the site of the building next door, which is now the "Wicklow Court" building. This would be appear to be where they were until the most recent fire.

This building is 41-46 and now that I've got older Thoms Directories in front of me here, was not Dockrells until after the most recent fire. It was a selection of shops and the Red Lion Hotel on the end and presumably over the shops. After the Red Lion closed it seems to have been Winstons Department Store which seems to have finally ended as a chain recently enough outside Dublin

So Mannix Flynn definitely did not burn out this building (and of course claims he didn't burn down the other one!) - and the interiors may actually be quite old then. I had assumed myself that it was just a shell with 70s interiors.

fatknacker

Wheety wrote: »

[/QUOTE]


Jaysus, the poor woman in the picture and news article must have been texting for days waiting for it to open back up!

Suckit

miamee wrote: »

I took this photo yesterday where some of the old signage has been revealed. It's not much to look at but I was wondering what the red lettering underneath is? It looks like it used to say "Rio" maybe? I have no memory of this building as anything else, we rarely went down that part of town as kids so would be interested to know*.

* I used to be convinced that Cassidys had been here but I've been told it was the other side of the road so I'm not relying on my very hazy memory!

That was "Big D"

Edited.
I typed that and then went looking to see if I could find anything online. It's late, I couldn't find much except the pdf linked below.
Here is the pdf link Industry Evolution: A Comparative Study of Irish Wholesaling - Core
Here is a screengrab of the PDF (I realise a quote would have worked)

Suckit

Another reference to "Big D" (But I didn't fancy continually editing the above post).
https://www.irishtimes.com/business/commercial-property/former-dockrells-store-to-sell-for-15-million-1.1157768

For a century and a half, numbers 41-46 South Great George's Street housed one of the Dublin's best-known businesses, Dockrells hardware store, which traded up to the early 1970s.

The business was later taken over by the Fitzwilton Group. When they changed the name over the door to Big D "the writing was on the wall", according one former employee, David Baker.

The decline of the business was accentuated by the waning fortunes of South Great George's Street, as Grafton Street replaced it as the premier shopping thoroughfare in the city.

miamee

Thanks Suckit, that's very interesting! I'll have to keep an eye out this week to see if 'Big D' makes a reappearance.

miamee

^^ 'Big D' did not make a reappearance and won't be ever again now. Updated photo below taken on Tuesday (5th Feb)

fatknacker

I've seen a big D make an appearance on George's St before...

Muahahaha

Its great to see that delapidated and derelict buildings in Dublin CC are now finally getting renovated and put back into use. We built a lot of new stuff during the property boom and buildings in the city centre like the Outlet weren't even touched and were left go to ruin. So its good to see they are finally getting done now

humberklog

It's great to see George's St. up to Camden, on the whole, getting long overdue attention.

Muahahaha

Yeah that whole spine from Georges St up to Camden St is getting transformed nicely. It wont be long until there isn't a single disued building all the way from Ricks up to the Bleeding Horse. Next on the agenda has to be an entire re-surfacing of the road, I went down it last week on a motorbike and its in such a mess that the front wheel was going air bourne over some of the patchwork repairs. 2010 was the last time I remember any roadworks on it, it is long overdue an upgrade.

I was definitely in that Outlet Store circa 2004—5. They sold really crap sports gear.

Did it open for a little while in the mid 00's before closing again, for good?

miamee

The front looks pretty much the same as the last pic I posted, however the Stephen Stree side is looking more...airy! Pic taken yesterday.

n!ghtmancometh

A poxy premier Inn is going in? Thats disappointing, but better than lying empty I suppose

L1011

n!ghtmancometh wrote: »

A poxy premier Inn is going in? Thats disappointing, but better than lying empty I suppose

Modern city centre Premier Inn's usually have better restaurant and bar facilities than most other hotels; and definitely ones that people on normal incomes can use.

cgcsb

Muahahaha wrote: »

Yeah that whole spine from Georges St up to Camden St is getting transformed nicely. It wont be long until there isn't a single disued building all the way from Ricks up to the Bleeding Horse. Next on the agenda has to be an entire re-surfacing of the road, I went down it last week on a motorbike and its in such a mess that the front wheel was going air bourne over some of the patchwork repairs. 2010 was the last time I remember any roadworks on it, it is long overdue an upgrade.

It's a busconnects corridor so resurfacing will almost certainly be done, but you could be talking 2021

cgcsb

n!ghtmancometh wrote: »

A poxy premier Inn is going in? Thats disappointing, but better than lying empty I suppose

Poxy Premier Inn? is that a new brand name for them?

Seriously though there is a hotel being built on Marlborough Street called 'moxy' an international chain of same name I believe. Is that not just asking to be given a local rebranding?

miamee

Not a huge amount has changed recently but an up-to-date photo anyway, taken today:

Passenger

A lot of work just to preserve a redbrick facade.

Suckit

Passenger wrote: »

A lot of work just to preserve a redbrick facade.

They must be doing more than that? What are the big blocks on the scaffolding, and it's a pretty sturdy, reinforced looking scafolding, not normal type.

Are they putting a 'front' on to the building? (I don't know what else to call it).

Passenger

Suckit wrote: »

What are the big blocks on the scaffolding, and it's a pretty sturdy, reinforced looking scafolding, not normal type.

Are they putting a 'front' on to the building? (I don't know what else to call it).

Appears to be a support structure for the facade as the entire inside of the building is being razed.

Can't seem to find any design plans for the finished hotel either. Anybody any links?