Tag / Richmond Surgical Hospital

by shannonchance

Open House Dublin

Mom admiring the horses at the plaza in  Smithfield, historically  used as a livestock market.

Visiting Saint Francis at St. Augustine and St. John’s Catholic Church (built in 1874) with my mom.

I almost missed out.  Open House Dublin ran Thursday to Sunday, and I didn’t realize it was going on until late on Saturday.  But I made the most of the offerings on Sunday.

Before they started, I spent some time with Mom, Mary, and Tim.  They headed off for the fabulous Beatty Library and I for several Open House tours.

This annual event is hosted by the Irish Architecture Foundation. In one day, I got to attend three tours:

  1. Everyday Landmarks, conducted by Lisa C. who authors the blog Built Dublin.
  2. Dublin Docklands, conducted by Mairtin D’Alton of the firm GCA.
  3. Busarus bus station’s panoramic roof cafe.

I was exhausted by the end of the day, and so thankful that Tim and Mary showed me the ropes of ordering take out.  That’s something I’ve only ever done twice before in my life… I’ll definitely be doing that again. It was so easy using Takeaway Dublin.

Lisa describing the former Richmond Surgical Hospital, recently used as a courts building. (Good buildings can support all kinds of uses!)

The bus station’s concrete structure.

Mairtin describing cutting edge techniques used in Dublin’s 1940s bus terminal.

A view from the top. Every piece of the building was custom-detailed.

A view through the penthouse cafe, reflecting Dublin’s eclectic skyline.