The County Hall ( ga, Halla an Chontae, Corcaigh) is a 17-storey office block, owned by

Cork County Council Cork County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Chorcaí) is the authority responsible for local government in County Cork, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housing and ...

and housing its administrative headquarters. The building is located on Carrigrohane Road in the City of Cork. Although the building is owned by Cork County Council, it is located in a separate administrative area from the County - Cork City. At tall, the building was the tallest storied building in the country upon completion. However, it has since been surpassed by three other buildings. It is now a protected building.

History

Originally meetings of

had been held in the back portion of the top floor of Cork Courthouse. By the 1950s these premises were becoming inadequate and work on a new purpose-built building, designed by Patrick McSweeney, the then Cork County Architect, started in 1965. It was officially opened in April 1968. Oisín Kelly's statue, ''

Two Working Men ''Two Working Men'' ( ga, Beirt Fhear Oibre) are a pair of statues made by the Irish sculptor Oisín Kelly. The piece took Kelly three years to create and was unveiled in front of the County Hall in Cork in 1969. As with other works of public ar ...

'', stands outside the complex.

Redevelopment

A redevelopment project began in 2002 to re-clad the existing building, add a new storey to the tower block and build a six storey extension to the side of the tower. The original distinctive

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...

facade had been severely eroded and it was decided to replace rather than repair this as part of an expansion scheme. A louvered glass cladding replaced the original concrete, and the six-storey extension at ground level was completed in June 2006, as well as a new concourse and council chamber. The redevelopment cost €50 million.

References

External links

Cork County Hall - Council website
{{DEFAULTSORT:County Hall, Cork Buildings and structures in Cork (city) Skyscraper office buildings in the Republic of Ireland Government buildings completed in 1968 Cork Office buildings in the Republic of Ireland Skyscrapers in the Republic of Ireland