A Phoenix Arisen from the Ashes

000032

Restoration of a Georgian Dublin townhouse is no small undertaking – however when done right, the rewards can be breathtaking. Happily this has been accomplished at 5 South Leinster Street by the Office of Public Works, in conjunction with Maol Iosa Molloy and Arthur Gibney and Partners for the Friends of the National Gallery of Ireland. Four bays across, four floors over basement, and an unusual double-bow rear wall, all containing about 8,000 sq ft of floor area within, No. 5 was never going to be a small undertaking. And was it in a state. Conversions, wear-and-tear, and ultimately dereliction had all left their toll – so much so that the pristine house now presented is truly a miracle. Yet what is now easy on the eye was far from an ease of labour. Careful consideration, planning, and patience have all paid off spectacularly well. The result is not an in-your-face exercise in bling – but is instead an attentive, dedicated, diligent study of the understatement.

Plan Magazine