British architect Sir Albert Richardson objects to the ESB plan to demolish Georgian buildings in Dublin.
On 12 January 1962 the protest campaign against the demolition of 16 Georgian townhouses on Lower Fitzwilliam Street in Dublin launched at the Mansion House. The chief protester is Sir Albert Richardson, an architect and former-President of the Royal Academy.
The Georgian townhouses are owned by the Electricity Supply Board (ESB) and are to be demolished to make way for a modern office block for the ESB headquarters. Sir Albert Richardson is unhappy with this proposal.
I think it’s quite unnecessary and to my mind it amounts to vandalism.
He believes the ESB deserves to have new offices, but these should be constructed on another site.
Sir Albert Richardson’s former student Sir John Summerson has spoken on behalf of the ESB in favour of the demolition of the buildings. Sir Albert Richardson is critical of Sir John Summerson as he is not a practicing architect and has no experience repairing buildings.
Sir Albert Richardson is certain the buildings could be repaired very economically. From his wealth of experience,
I know that the most important thing is to keep the amenity and the past can be repaired and you can guarantee 200 years of life.
The 16 Georgian houses were demolished in 1965.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 13 January 1962.
