Hotel Metropole, Dublin

Last updated

Hotel Metropole
Metropole Hotel, Dublin.jpg
The Hotel Metropole around the year 1900
Former namesPrince of Wales Hotel
General information
StatusClosed and demolished
Type Hotel
ClassificationStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg
Address35-39 O'Connell Street Upper, Dublin 1
Town or city Dublin
Country Republic of Ireland
Opened1893
Demolished1916
Technical details
Floor count6
Design and construction
Architect(s)William Mitchell
References
[1]

Skeleton of the Metropole Hotel after destruction in May 1916 Skeleton of the Metropole Hotel (5987127804).jpg
Skeleton of the Metropole Hotel after destruction in May 1916

The Hotel Metropole (The Met) was a notable landmark hotel in Dublin, Ireland. It was located next to the General Post Office building in O'Connell Street. Originally four Georgian buildings, they were combined to form a unified hotel in a high-french style by architect William M. Mitchell in 1891–93. Various architectural additions and embellishments were included to make the building look more French including a mansard roof with rounded dormer windows. This followed the style other Dublin hotels were adopting at the time including the Shelbourne Hotel and nearby the Jury's Hotel at College Green.

Contents

The building was badly damaged during the Easter Rising and the remains were ultimately demolished. The hotel's owners received significant compensation following the final report of the Property Losses (Ireland) Committee.

Metropole Cinema

In 1922, a neoclassical building, designed by Aubrey V. O'Rourke, was built out of the ruins - The Metropole - and this building included a cinema and a ballroom, as well as a couple of bars and a restaurant, the Georgian Room. The Met closed on 11 March 1972 and the building was sold to British Home Stores who demolished it. [2] [3]

Penneys

The replacement was a modernist nondescript modern retail building constructed by G&T Crampton in 1977. [4] As of 2022, the building houses a large Penneys shop. [5] [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">O'Connell Street</span> Key street of Dublin, Ireland

O'Connell Street is a street in the centre of Dublin, Ireland, running north from the River Liffey. It connects the O'Connell Bridge to the south with Parnell Street to the north and is roughly split into two sections bisected by Henry Street. The Luas tram system runs along the street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgian Dublin</span> Period in Dublin c1714–1830 used to describe areas of the city

Georgian Dublin is a phrase used in terms of the history of Dublin that has two interwoven meanings:

  1. to describe a historic period in the development of the city of Dublin, Ireland, from 1714 to the death in 1830 of King George IV. During this period, the reign of the four Georges, hence the word Georgian, covers a particular and unified style, derived from Palladian Architecture, which was used in erecting public and private buildings
  2. to describe the modern day surviving buildings in Dublin erected in that period and which share that architectural style

The Capitol Theatre was located in Prince's Street, just off O'Connell Street, Dublin, and began life on 10 August 1920 as the La Scala Theatre and Opera House. Designed by architect T. F. McNamara it had two balconies in the 1,900-seat auditorium with 32 private boxes. Despite its name, the La Scala was a cinema. Paramount Pictures took over the lease on the building and renamed it the Capitol in 1927. Under new management, the Capitol ran a live show every week to accompany the current film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of Limerick</span>

As with other cities in Ireland, Limerick has a history of great architecture. A 1574 document, prepared for the Spanish ambassador, describes some of the wealth and architecture in the city:

The architecture of Ireland is one of the most visible features in the Irish countryside – with remains from all eras since the Stone Age abounding. Ireland is famous for its ruined and intact Norman and Anglo-Irish castles, small whitewashed thatched cottages and Georgian urban buildings. What are unaccountably somewhat less famous are the still complete Palladian and Rococo country houses which can be favourably compared to anything similar in northern Europe, and the country's many Gothic and neo-Gothic cathedrals and buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountjoy Square</span> Georgian garden square in Dublin, Ireland,

Mountjoy Square is a garden square in Dublin, Ireland, on the Northside of the city just under a kilometre from the River Liffey. One of five Georgian squares in Dublin, it was planned and developed in the late 18th century by Luke Gardiner, 1st Viscount Mountjoy. It is surrounded on all sides by terraced, red-brick Georgian houses. Construction of the houses began piecemeal in 1792 and the final property was completed in 1818.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dawson Street</span> Street in central Dublin

Dawson Street is a street on the southern side of central Dublin, running from St Stephen's Green to the walls of Trinity College Dublin. It is the site of the residence of the Lord Mayor of Dublin, the Mansion House.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Molesworth Street, Dublin</span> Street in Dublin, Ireland

Molesworth Street is a street in Dublin, Ireland named after Richard Molesworth, 3rd Viscount Molesworth and links the more notable Dawson Street with Kildare Street and lies just over 200 m to the north of St. Stephens Green in Dublin's central business district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">O'Connell Street, Limerick</span> Main street of Limerick city, Ireland

O'Connell Street is the main thoroughfare of the city of Limerick. It was previously known as George's Street until it was renamed after Daniel O'Connell. The street runs in parallel to the River Shannon and forms part of an overall thoroughfare, along with Rutland Street and Patrick Street, that bisects Limerick City Centre in a north east to south west direction. The street is about a mile in length, starting at the Arthurs Quay / Denmark Street junction and ending at The Crescent. A monument to Daniel O'Connell stands at the centre of The Crescent overlooking O'Connell Street. The street is noted for its Georgian architectural heritage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parnell Street</span> Street in North Dublin city, Ireland

Parnell Street is a street in Dublin, Ireland, which runs from Capel Street in the west to Gardiner Street and Mountjoy Square in the east. It is at the north end of O'Connell Street, where it forms the south side of Parnell Square.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gresham Hotel</span>

The Hotel Riu Plaza The Gresham Dublin, formerly The Gresham Hotel, is a historic four-star hotel on O'Connell Street in Dublin, Ireland. It is a Dublin institution and landmark. Founded in 1817, the current structure was completed in 1927 and was completely refurbished in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cashel Palace Hotel</span> Hotel in Cashel, Ireland

The Cashel Palace Hotel is a palladian mansion now operating as a 61 bedroom hotel and restaurant in Cashel, County Tipperary, Ireland.

Lyons Demesne, also Lyons Estate, is a country house and estate in Lyons Hill, County Kildare, Ireland. It is located near Newcastle Demesne and Celbridge, to the northeast of Tipperstown, 24.8 kilometres (15.4 mi) west of the city centre of Dublin. The Georgian house, completed in 1797 under architect Oliver Grace, is set in 600 acres (240 ha). Historically, Lyons was the setting of a notable duel between Daniel O'Connell and John D'Esterre. University College Dublin, Lyons Research Farm consists of a portion of the original Lyons Estate and is used by the School of Agriculture, Food Science and Veterinary Medicine for teaching and research activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newtown Pery, Limerick</span> Neighbourhood of Limerick, Ireland

Newtown Pery is an area of central Limerick, Ireland, and forms the main city centre of the city. The district is known for its Georgian architectural heritage and is the core area of Limerick's Georgian Quarter. It is one of the three towns that make up modern-day Limerick City Centre, the other two being the older Englishtown and Irishtown, which date from the medieval period. Newtown Pery houses the largest collection of Georgian townhouses in Ireland outside of Dublin. In 1837, Samuel Lewis in his Topographical Dictionary of Ireland described Newtown Pery as "one of the handsomest towns in Ireland".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Street, Dublin</span> Street in Dublin, Ireland

Mary Street is a predominantly retail street in Dublin, Ireland on the northside of the city contiguous with Henry Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">O'Connell Bridge House</span> Office building in Dublin (Ireland)

O'Connell Bridge House is a 12-storey office block in Dublin, Republic of Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Tholsel, Dublin</span> Historic public building in Dublin, Ireland

The Tholsel was an important building in Dublin, Ireland which combined the function of civic hall, guildhall, court, gaol and even for a period acted as parliament house from 1641-48.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathedral Street, Dublin</span> Street in Dublin, Ireland

Cathedral Street is a street in central Dublin, Ireland, formerly known as Elephant Lane and Tyrone Place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Hibernian Hotel</span> Former Hotel in Dublin Ireland

The Royal Hibernian Hotel was a hotel on Dawson Street, Dublin, Ireland. Its history dates back to 1751, making it one of the country's first hotels, and it was popular with the wealthy in the 19th century. Its restaurants specialised in haute cuisine, which gradually declined in popularity in the 20th century, leading to the hotel's closure in 1982 and subsequent demolition and replacement with the Royal Hibernian Way and the offices of Davy Stockbrokers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imperial Hotel, Dublin</span> Former hotel in Dublin, Ireland

The Imperial Hotel was a hotel in Dublin's principal thoroughfare, Sackville Street, until it was destroyed during the Easter Rising of 1916. The building comprised Clerys department store on the lower floors and the Imperial Hotel on upper floors situated opposite the General Post Office and Nelson's Pillar.

References

  1. "CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, O'CONNELL STREET LOWER, NO. 035-39 (HOTEL METROPOLE) Dictionary of Irish Architects -". www.dia.ie. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  2. "Meet Me at the Metropole". Louis Elliman. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  3. "1922 – Metropole Cinema & Restaurant, O'Connell St., Dublin". Archiseek - Irish Architecture. 24 April 2012. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  4. "British Home Stores, O'Connell Street". 12 June 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  5. http://www.streetsbroadandnarrow.com/2011/06/hotel-metropolepenneys-oconnell-street.html Through Streets Broad and Narrow: Discovering the history behind some of Dublin's well known (and lesser known) streets and buildings (Accessed August 2011)
  6. http://bridge-it.tchpc.tcd.ie/items/show/214 Archived 29 November 2017 at the Wayback Machine "The Metropole Cinema, O'Connell Street. c.1923." Lifescapes: Mapping Dublin Lives, Item #214 (Accessed August 2011)