Archer's Garage is an

art deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

style building on the corner of Sandwith street and

Fenian Street Fenian Street is a street in Dublin, Ireland. Location Fenian Street runs from Lincoln Place at the western end, to Hogan Place at the eastern end, parallel with Pearse Street. History Fenian Street was formally called Denzille or Denzil Street ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

Construction

It was originally built in 1946 to the design of Billy Baird of Kaye Parry Ross

Hendy Hendy ( cy, Yr Hendy) is a village in the community of Llanedi, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is situated at the Carmarthenshire and the City and County of Swansea border. It lies on the Afon Gwili just across the River Loughor from Pontarddulais ...

architects and was constructed for Richard Archer who was the first agent for Ford motorcars in Ireland. It was the first building in Ireland to be built of reinforced concrete and fitted with fluorescent lighting.

Demolition

Despite being a listed building it was illegally demolished in 1999 over the June bank holiday long weekend by property developer and hotelier Noel O’Callaghan. At the time of demolition it was the only surviving building on the largely derelict corner.

Reconstruction

The demolition was controversial and as a result of legal action

Dublin City Council Dublin City Council ( ga, Comhairle Cathrach Bhaile Átha Cliath) is the authority responsible for local government in the city of Dublin in Ireland. As a city council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. Until 2001, the council wa ...

forced the developers to build a facsimile of the building on the original site. Although originally scheduled to begin in September 1999, reconstruction commenced in 2001 but was then halted because of legal disputes concerning the garage and adjoining offices. It finally finished in 2004.

Legal impact

The demolition resulted in the maximum jail time for the demolition of listed buildings being raised from three to five years. The maximum fine of £1 million did not change. Noel O’Callaghan forestalled prosecution by signing an agreement with

Dublin Corporation Dublin Corporation (), known by generations of Dubliners simply as ''The Corpo'', is the former name of the city government and its administrative organisation in Dublin since the 1100s. Significantly re-structured in 1660-1661, even more sign ...

to reinstate the building.

References

{{Commons category, Archer's garage Art Deco architecture in the Republic of Ireland Office buildings in the Republic of Ireland Demolished buildings and structures in Dublin Buildings and structures demolished in 1999