Hawkins House (Dublin) Explained

Hawkins House
Native Name Lang:ga
Map Type:Ireland Central Dublin
Etymology:Named after Hawkins Street
Location Country:Ireland
Coordinates:53.3466°N -6.2582°W
Completion Date:1964
Demolition Date:2020–21
Height:41.45m[1]
Floor Count:12
Floor Area:122000square feet
Architect:Sir Thomas Bennett
Unit Count:-->

Hawkins House was a 12-storey office block in Dublin, Ireland. It was demolished in 2021.

History

Hawkins House, with the Screen Cinema, was built on the site of the Theatre Royal which sat on the corner of Hawkins Street and Townsend Street. Hawkins House is on the corner of Poolbeg Street and Hawkins Street and was built between 1962 and 1964. It was the first of a set of buildings erected on this block, including Apollo House in 1969, the Screen Cinema in 1972 and College House in 1974. The building was the former Department of Health headquarters.[2]

Along with College House, Hawkins House was sold for £12 million in 1984.[3]

Architecture

The building was designed by English architect, Sir Thomas Bennett, and developed by the Rank Organisation. The 12-storey block had two curtain walls with two concrete slab facades. With O'Connell Bridge House, the impact of the height and bulk of Hawkins House led to the Dublin Corporation re-evaluating the guidelines around building height in the city.

Demolition

The building was considered to be one of the ugliest in Dublin,[4] [5] being voted the worst building in Dublin in 1998.[6] Permission was granted to demolish the block in 2017,[7] with the demolition planned to take a year from 2020. It was the last of the modern structures on the block to be razed.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Hawkins House, Dublin 233025 EMPORIS . https://web.archive.org/web/20160315042830/http://www.emporis.com/buildings/233025/hawkins-house-dublin-ireland . dead . 15 March 2016 . . 29 December 2020.
  2. News: Kelly . Olivia . Hawkins House demolition begins . 5 November 2020 . The Irish Times . 29 October 2020 . en.
  3. Book: McDonald . Frank . The destruction of Dublin . 1985 . Gill and Macmillan . Dublin . 0717113868 . 39–42.
  4. Book: Casey . Christine . Dublin : the city within the Grand and Royal Canals and the Circular Road with the Phoenix Park . 2005 . Yale University Press . New Haven, Conn. . 9780300109238 . 460.
  5. News: Duffy . Rónán . 'Dublin's ugliest building' is going to be knocked down and turned into this . 5 November 2020 . TheJournal.ie . 3 June 2016 . en.
  6. Web site: 1962 – Hawkins House, Poolbeg Street, Dublin . Archiseek - Irish Architecture . 5 November 2020 . 10 February 2010.
  7. News: Kelly . Olivia . Hawkins House, one of Dublin's ugliest buildings, finally set to be demolished . 5 November 2020 . The Irish Times . 7 May 2020 . en.