Apollo_House_(Dublin)

Apollo House (Dublin)

Apollo House (Dublin)

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Apollo House was a 9-storey office block in Tara Street, Dublin, Republic of Ireland.

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History

Apollo House entrance and signage

Apollo House was built in 1969 for the Norwich Union Group by Block Office and Shop Investments. 7 older buildings were demolished to make way for the 9-storey office block with street level retail, a car park, and a petrol station. It was constructed with pre-cast concrete blocks, and designed by David Keane, who also designed Phibsboro Shopping Centre.[1]

Occupation

Apollo House occupation

The empty office block was occupied by 40 homeless people for 27 days from 15 December to 12 January 2017, supported by the Irish Housing Network under the campaign entitled "Home Sweet Home".[2] Over the course of the occupation, 205 homeless people were housed in the block. Among the supporters of the occupation were Glen Hansard, Christy Dignam, Jim Sheridan,[3] Kodaline, and Hozier.[4]

Demolition and redevelopment

After the demolition of Apollo House in June 2018,[5] the remains of a large stone building were discovered on the site which are thought to be the chapel which was known to have existed in this area.[6]

The site was purchased by developer Pat Crean's Marlet Property Group for an estimated €56 million from the National Asset Management Agency.[4][7] Permission was granted for a mixed development on the site, alongside the adjoining College House and Screen Cinema, under the new name College Square. This was despite objections from An Taisce about the impact of a new development that is proposed to be taller than the previous Apollo House.[8][9]

See also

References

  1. [1]
    McDonald, Frank (1985). The destruction of Dublin. Dublin: Gill and Macmillan. p. 42. ISBN 0717113868.
  2. [2]
    Fitzgerald, Cormac (2 May 2017). "What has happened to Home Sweet Home (and the €190,000 that was donated)?". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  3. [3]
    "'Homeless crisis has worsened since Apollo House demonstration' - campaigners". Irish Independent. 17 December 2017.
  4. [4]
    Quinlan, Ronald (26 November 2018). "Marlet set to pay over €77m an acre for Apollo House site". Sunday Independent. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  5. [5]
    "1969 - Apollo House, Tara Street, Dublin". Archiseek - Irish Architecture. 7 July 2010. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  6. [6]
    Feehan, Conor (1 November 2019). "Archaeologists dig in after ancient ruins found on Apollo site". The Herald. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  7. [7]
    Fagan, Jack (26 September 2018). "Demolished Apollo House site goes on sale for €40m-plus". The Irish Times. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  8. [8]
    Quinlan, Ronald (17 September 2020). "Bord Pleanála clears way for 21-storey tower on former Apollo House site". The Irish Times. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  9. [9]
    Deegan, Gordon (16 January 2020). "An Taisce appeal puts plans for 21-storey development at Apollo House site on hold". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
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