Campaign to protect Hume Street hospital from damage by thieves

Campaign to protect Hume Street hospital from damage by thieves

A campaign to save Dublin’s Hume Street hospital building from destruction has begun after thieves began stealing its roofs and interiors. Lead has been removed from the roofs of the terrace of five interconnecting Georgian houses on Hume Street, off St Stephen’s Green, and water is seeping into the protected structures’ interiors. Locals have seen men removing pipes, water tanks, copper and general fixtures and fittings from the building.

There is also visible damage to gutters and downpipes on the outside of the building and water is soaking into the brickwork. Access to the buildings at basement level is not secure. Last week, gardaí from Harcourt Terrace arrested six men who were found in the building and they have since been charged with trespass. The protected structures were built in 1768 and the street was named after the family of surgeon Gustavus Hume.

Father of geology Richard Griffin was born in number 8 and the buildings were home to the City of Dublin Skin and Cancer Hospital for over 100 years until 2006. They incorporate most of the terrace on the south side of the street. The buildings are owned by businessman Michael Kelly, of Glandore Business Centres, and have been vacant since 2006, when he purchased them for €30 million. He had intended to develop the block into a business centre, but two planning applications, lodged in 2007 and 2008, were rejected by Dublin City Council.

The Irish Times