University College Dublin and its Building Plans

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6. Newman House, Nos. 85 and 86 St. Stephen's Green. Two of Dublin's finest Georgian houses (1740 and 1756). On November 3rd 1854, No. 86 opened its doors as the Catholic University of Ireland; No. 85 was aquired 12 years later. No. 85 is on the left of the picture, No. 86 is the larger house in the middle, and on the right is the porch of the University Church. these houses were used for teaching until 1919 (also for university residence until 1909); they are now the social headquarters of the College, with rooms for students societies, restaurants, etc. It is hoped that they will remain in use by the College after the move to Belfield.

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7. The University Church, 1856. Newman says of it: "My idea was to build a large barn and decorate it in the style of the basilica, with Irish marbles and copies of standard pictures." the architect was J.H. Pollen, and the success of so unusual a design (in the age of triumphant Gothic) had some influence on the choice of the Byzantine style for Westminster Cathedral. Now used for parochial purposes, the church serves also for the religious functions of the College.

SCHOOL OF MEDICINE OF THE Catholic University of Ireland Certify that Mr. ___________________________________ attended a Course of Lectures on____________________________________ delivered by ___________ which commenced the ______ day of ________ 18_____ and terminated the _________day of _________18____

_______________________________ Medical Regstrar.

Cecilia Street, Dublin _______________________________

_______________________________

Date of Issue_________________________

8. The Catholic University Medical School, Cecilia Street. In use from 1855 to 1930, when it was replaced by the present temorary Anatory building at Earlsfort Terrace. The Medical School was the most vigorous and successful part of the Catholic University, and for a long time it made up half the numbers of the present College.

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9. Facade of the Royal University of Ireland. Most of these buildings had been put up for exhibition purposes (1865), and consisted of very large halls of semi-permanent construction. The front portion was demolished to make way for R. M. Butler's building of 1912-19, but the low buildings on the left, and the back of the high central block, are still in use.

(Photograph) 10. Facade at Earlsfort Terrace. This fine facade in Stradbally limestone was designed by R. M. Butler, afterwards (1920-42) Professor of Architecture, and erected 1914-19. Only this east front and the north block were build; the quadrangle was to have been completed by similar blocks on the south and west, with a centrally placed Library and Aula Maxima. The architect's original sketch is here reproduced.

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[Aerphotos.

11. The Earlsfort Terrace buldings from the air. The Butler blocks and the old buildings can be seen, and the Iveagh Gardens over which it was thought, about fifteen years ago, that the College might be extended. The photograph shows that the space is not large.

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12. A Library reading-room at Earlsfort Terrace, Noveber 1957. This is the largest of several scattered reading-rooms, none of the designed for library purposes, which have now (November 1959) been replaced by a more unified temporary College library, with much more adequate seating and storage space. In this picture students for whom there were no seats are seen standing; later it the year there would have been many more of these.

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13. A class-room at Earlsfort Terrace. Overcrowding and continuous use render such rooms uncomfortable and unhealthy. The present plans of readaptation at Earlsfort Terrace provide a few more class-rooms, but only large-scale building can really solve the problem. In this picture students are seen crowded on the rostrum and against the blackboard.

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14. The Anatomy Department. This is part of the temporary building which in 1930 replaced the historic Cecilia Street. This and numbers 12, 13, 15, adn 16 were supplied by the College to the recent Commission and appear in its Report.

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15. the First Year Chemistry Laboratory, Merrion Street, in 1958. Overcrowding in Science had become acute. This very large laboratory was 35 feet high. In the long vaction of 1958 an intermediate floor was build, doubling the space.

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16. Students crowding to the Physics Theatre, Earlsfort Terrace. Circulation in the College is frequently difficult, as the halls and corridors were designed for about one-fifth of the present numbers.

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17. The Science Buildings, Upper Merrioin Street. here are housed Engineering and all the Science departments except Experimental Physics. Since the College took over this building, numbers in Engineering have increased very greatly, and the Faculty is now made up of four brances (Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical). The machines are closely packed together, so that for engine tests the classes frequently have to be split into as many as ten sections, each repeating the smae experiment. Space formerly devoted to research in Engineering has been given over to teaching.

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Courtesy: Independent Newspapers.

18. At the opening of the new Cheistry Laboratory (see 15 above), November 1958; Mr. De Valera, Toaiseach and Chancellor of the National University, Dr. Tierney, President of the College, and Professor Wheeler, Professor of Chemistry and Dean of the Faculty of Science. Mr. De Valera, now President of Ireland, has been Chancellor of the University since 1921, and head of the Irish government for most of the time. At the opening of the new Laboratory he spoke of the necessity of devoting more money to Science.

This and the next pictures (21-30) wil show how the College has been providing for its growth by temporary work at Earlsfort Terrace, Merrion Street, and Belfield.