“The Stephen’s Green Centre is getting set for a facelift that will add another two storeys to the building and add significant office space at the expense of retail, according to the Sunday Times. A plan for the €100 million-plus upgrade is expected shortly from investors Davy Real Estate, who acquired the building in 2019 for about €175 million.”
I hope they’re forced to keep the facade. It’s a wonderful building inside and out.
Not quite sure why they’d have any say over the taxi rank on Stephen’s green north?
I’d be sad to see the wrought iron look go. No real issue with some internal modernisation or changes, but I’m not keen on that proposed look, or what it’s likely to lead to inside.
Let me guess, it’ll look *great* as an architects model but nobody will bother keeping it clean or sandblasting it and in ten years it’ll look like a shabby grey cardboard box with birdshit-smeared windows. Welcome to Dublin development. Acres of white granite covered in grime and decades-old chewing gum.
The purpose of these developments is to get built; once they’re up, nobody could give a shite what happens next except the buzzards who collect the rent.
There is such potential to retain and improve the integrity of the historic facade. Even if replacing, there is such potential to protect the aesthetic.
How the actual fuck is the architect completely missing this?
God, that is so soulless and generic.
Especially compared to what’s there now.
The problem with Stephens Green is that although it looks fantastic (and so unique) it has always been a terrible shopping center – the units are far too small and the 3rd floor feels like a ghost town, completely removed from the rest of the centre.
That said, those problems are fixable without destroying the whole thing. DCC should take a hard line on this. If the centre as it looks today is lost, it will go down with the loss of old Penn Station in New York as a completely incomprehensible crime against architecture and public space.
But where are the carriage horses going to shite now with all them umbrellas!?
Fine by me, the building needs to be updated. The current design isn’t terrible but is from a time gone by and isn’t representative of modern Dublin.
it should be possible to modernise the inside layout, while still keeping that unique boutiquey feel and keep the outside of the building as it. It definitely is possible to that. I agree there is something funny about the third floor, but a good architect should be able to help with that. what there proposing is a horrible banal beige ‘financial district’ type building, and as others have said wont age well.
I love Grafton street and the little streets off it for shopping, especially this time of year. with the green and the shopping centre as it looks now (with a bit of planning and updating for the inside) makes this a lovely city centre- and I am someone who is not a massive fan of Dublin in general, but I love that area. I really hope this plan doesn’t go through.
Jesus Christ. Is every board planning meeting just this image. ‘All in favour say aye. Aye. Caviar anyone?’
The corporate sterilisation of our capital continues.
I’m actually shocked it’s not going to be another hotel…
Yo where are they getting the good weather.
They’re trying to break something that isn’t broken.
I actually wouldn’t mind it if it weren’t replacing something so iconic.
Modern architecture is just so soulless.
If it’s not broke don’t fix it
Another post modern monstrosity that will make you wash your fucking eyeballs every time you walk past. Good stonemasonry beats glass 95% of the time
I think it’s a beautiful shopping centre as it is. Full of light. I can’t believe they got it so right in the 1980’s.
But Stephens Green is a beautiful building. Why in gods name does it have to change? Honestly, I’m bloody gutted. It’s a proper nice point of interest at the top of Grafton St. For fuck sake.
That mall deserves the best shops. My favorite building in Dublin. Love the sun roof. Always gives me good vibes even if it’s dead now
No
Oh God, why?
Looks the same as every other soul less office block in town, no doubt a Henry J Lyons design
Revolting pile of Modernist shite. Keep that excrement confined to the UCD campus
That is so depressing.
Stephen green shopping centre needs to be a science and natural history museum. It’s perfect for displaying huge exhibits over multiple floors. Very similar to London and Edinburgh. We have enough shopping centres and enough modern crappy buildings that look run down in 10years.
Why is this building not protected, instead many of the other “historical” but utterly shitty buildings around in dublin?? Makes no sense.
The Stephen’s Green shopping centre is one of those rare examples of a large building built in the 80s that actually looks good.,
I’ve taken a lot of visitors around Dublin and they are genuinely surprised when you tell him it was built in the 80s as they are convinced it looks much older. It’s design is genuinely timeless.
I get that the design of some of the the stores isn’t great, but I’m sure they could fix that without fundamentally altering the /appearance of the centre.
Absolutely not!
Stephen’s green is poorly managed, that’s all.
I took my Aussie wife in there and she was blown away. It’s gorgeous. Like being in a victorian glass house.
By all means have the public tables and chairs, and get rid of the cars from the square too. Convert it to scooters and cycles only. But don’t introduce that bland shite. Keep the building exterior as it is. It has a bit of character.
Can you still get metal t shirts upstairs? Memories
Stick another 24 floors on it and put apartments in there.
This looks terrible.
God no.
Stephen’s Green is the only half good-looking building(that I can think of) constructed in the last 50 years.
Yes there are better looking buildings in Dublin but this one seems to be the last genuine attempt at something decent.
36 comments
[From the Irish times](https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2022/12/11/stephens-green-centre-heads-for-100m-facelift-but-fewer-shops-and-cafes/)
“The Stephen’s Green Centre is getting set for a facelift that will add another two storeys to the building and add significant office space at the expense of retail, according to the Sunday Times. A plan for the €100 million-plus upgrade is expected shortly from investors Davy Real Estate, who acquired the building in 2019 for about €175 million.”
I hope they’re forced to keep the facade. It’s a wonderful building inside and out.
Not quite sure why they’d have any say over the taxi rank on Stephen’s green north?
I’d be sad to see the wrought iron look go. No real issue with some internal modernisation or changes, but I’m not keen on that proposed look, or what it’s likely to lead to inside.
Let me guess, it’ll look *great* as an architects model but nobody will bother keeping it clean or sandblasting it and in ten years it’ll look like a shabby grey cardboard box with birdshit-smeared windows. Welcome to Dublin development. Acres of white granite covered in grime and decades-old chewing gum.
The purpose of these developments is to get built; once they’re up, nobody could give a shite what happens next except the buzzards who collect the rent.
There is such potential to retain and improve the integrity of the historic facade. Even if replacing, there is such potential to protect the aesthetic.
How the actual fuck is the architect completely missing this?
God, that is so soulless and generic.
Especially compared to what’s there now.
The problem with Stephens Green is that although it looks fantastic (and so unique) it has always been a terrible shopping center – the units are far too small and the 3rd floor feels like a ghost town, completely removed from the rest of the centre.
That said, those problems are fixable without destroying the whole thing. DCC should take a hard line on this. If the centre as it looks today is lost, it will go down with the loss of old Penn Station in New York as a completely incomprehensible crime against architecture and public space.
But where are the carriage horses going to shite now with all them umbrellas!?
Fine by me, the building needs to be updated. The current design isn’t terrible but is from a time gone by and isn’t representative of modern Dublin.
it should be possible to modernise the inside layout, while still keeping that unique boutiquey feel and keep the outside of the building as it. It definitely is possible to that. I agree there is something funny about the third floor, but a good architect should be able to help with that. what there proposing is a horrible banal beige ‘financial district’ type building, and as others have said wont age well.
I love Grafton street and the little streets off it for shopping, especially this time of year. with the green and the shopping centre as it looks now (with a bit of planning and updating for the inside) makes this a lovely city centre- and I am someone who is not a massive fan of Dublin in general, but I love that area. I really hope this plan doesn’t go through.
Jesus Christ. Is every board planning meeting just this image. ‘All in favour say aye. Aye. Caviar anyone?’
The corporate sterilisation of our capital continues.
I’m actually shocked it’s not going to be another hotel…
Yo where are they getting the good weather.
They’re trying to break something that isn’t broken.
I actually wouldn’t mind it if it weren’t replacing something so iconic.
Modern architecture is just so soulless.
If it’s not broke don’t fix it
Another post modern monstrosity that will make you wash your fucking eyeballs every time you walk past. Good stonemasonry beats glass 95% of the time
I think it’s a beautiful shopping centre as it is. Full of light. I can’t believe they got it so right in the 1980’s.
But Stephens Green is a beautiful building. Why in gods name does it have to change? Honestly, I’m bloody gutted. It’s a proper nice point of interest at the top of Grafton St. For fuck sake.
That mall deserves the best shops. My favorite building in Dublin. Love the sun roof. Always gives me good vibes even if it’s dead now
No
Oh God, why?
Looks the same as every other soul less office block in town, no doubt a Henry J Lyons design
Revolting pile of Modernist shite. Keep that excrement confined to the UCD campus
That is so depressing.
Stephen green shopping centre needs to be a science and natural history museum. It’s perfect for displaying huge exhibits over multiple floors. Very similar to London and Edinburgh. We have enough shopping centres and enough modern crappy buildings that look run down in 10years.
Why is this building not protected, instead many of the other “historical” but utterly shitty buildings around in dublin?? Makes no sense.
The Stephen’s Green shopping centre is one of those rare examples of a large building built in the 80s that actually looks good.,
I’ve taken a lot of visitors around Dublin and they are genuinely surprised when you tell him it was built in the 80s as they are convinced it looks much older. It’s design is genuinely timeless.
I get that the design of some of the the stores isn’t great, but I’m sure they could fix that without fundamentally altering the /appearance of the centre.
Absolutely not!
Stephen’s green is poorly managed, that’s all.
I took my Aussie wife in there and she was blown away. It’s gorgeous. Like being in a victorian glass house.
By all means have the public tables and chairs, and get rid of the cars from the square too. Convert it to scooters and cycles only. But don’t introduce that bland shite. Keep the building exterior as it is. It has a bit of character.
Can you still get metal t shirts upstairs? Memories
Stick another 24 floors on it and put apartments in there.
This looks terrible.
God no.
Stephen’s Green is the only half good-looking building(that I can think of) constructed in the last 50 years.
Yes there are better looking buildings in Dublin but this one seems to be the last genuine attempt at something decent.