Dawson Street

Dawson Street runs parallel to Grafton Street from St Stephen's Green to Nassau Street. It is connected to Grafton Street by Duke Street and South Anne Street. Much of the street is a shopping thoroughfare. Molesworth Street links the street to Kildare Street. The street has a slight slope downwards from its Stephen's Green end to its Trinity end. Traffic flows one way, northwards.

The street was named after Joshua Dawson, who in 1705 acquired land from Henry Temple and Hugh Price.{{sfn|Bennett|2005|p=62}}{{Cite book|last=M'Cready|first=C. T.|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/263974843|title=Dublin street names dated and explained|date=1987|publisher=Carraig|isbn=1-85068-005-1|location=Blackrock, Co. Dublin|pages=29|oclc=263974843}} He laid out the street in 1707 along the estate's east edge, as well as the nearby Grafton, Anne, and Harry Streets which were part of the estate.{{sfn|Casey|2005|p=514}}{{Cite book|last=Clerkin|first=Paul|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/48467800|title=Dublin street names|date=2001|publisher=Gill & Macmillan|isbn=0-7171-3204-8|location=Dublin|pages=55|oclc=48467800}} By 1728, the street was complete.{{sfn|Casey|2005|p=214}} At the point of construction, it was a wide roadway and considered one of the best in Dublin.{{sfn|Bennett|2005|p=62}}

Dawson Street was originally residential. Some original properties were replaced with larger houses around 1760-1770. During the 19th century, commercial properties began to be developed on the street, and in the late 20th, these were converted or replaced with office blocks.{{sfn|Casey|2005|p=514}}

The Mansion House, the official residence of the Lord Mayor of Dublin, lies near the southern end of the street. It was constructed by Dawson in 1710, but sold to Dublin Corporation on 25 April 1715 for £3,500, as a residence for the Lord Mayor.{{sfn|Bennett|2005|p=62}}{{sfn|Casey|2005|p=514}} A portico was added to the entrance in the 19th century. The round room alongside the Mansion House was constructed over six weeks in 1821 for George IV. The house has undergone several reconstructions, including external plastering of the original brick walls, and has been used for function rooms, and as a restaurant. A large office block was constructed to the right of Mansion House in 2002.{{sfn|Bennett|2005|p=62}}

Saint Ann's Church is found on the eastern side, almost halfway along. Northland House was at No. 19 Dawson Street, and constructed in 1770 for the Knox family. It was bought by the Royal Irish Academy in 1851 and renamed Academy House. Near the northern end is the bookshop Hodges Figgis, founded in 1768.{{sfn|Bennett|2005|p=62}}{{cite web |title=History of the Academy |url=https://www.ria.ie/about/history |website=www.ria.ie |date=12 October 2015 |access-date=4 December 2020}}{{Cite web|url=https://osi.ie/blog/quick-history-of-irish-monopoly-streets/|title=A Quick History of the Irish Streets of Monopoly|access-date=2021-11-13|website=Ordnance Survey Ireland}}

The Dawson Lounge, Dublin's smallest pub, is located near the Stephen's Green end of the street.{{Cite news|title="In the future it will be good, so I won't complain": Dubliners on the new Luas|url=https://www.thejournal.ie/luas-cross-city-works-reaction-1338092-Mar2014/|last=Cheffetz|first=Seth|date=2014-03-02|access-date=2021-11-13|work=TheJournal.ie}}

The eminent architect, Jacob Owen, lived at 27 Dawson Street in the 1860s.{{cite web | url=https://www.dia.ie/architects/view/4252/OWEN-JACOB | title=OWEN, JACOB - Dictionary of Irish Architects }} Noted Irish ecclesiastical architect William Hague had his office at 50 Dawson Street,Gerry Convery. Poetry in Stone: Sacred Heart Church. (Omagh: Drumragh RC Parish, 1999), p.57 as did architect Thomas Francis McNamara (also at No. 50 and No. 5).

From the 1960s onwards many of the Georgian and Victorian buildings on the street were demolished in favour of modern retail and office units. One such development was on the corner of Dawson Street and Nassau Street by the Norwich Union Group. A collection of 15 Georgian and Victorian buildings were demolished, including the original Elverys Sports corner store{{sfn|McDonald|1985|p=15}} and the 1870 McCurdy's Law Club.{{cite web |title=1967 - Norwich Union, Nassau Street, Dublin |url=https://archiseek.com/2010/1963-norwich-union-nassau-street-dublin/ |website=Archiseek - Irish Architecture |access-date=3 November 2020 |date=16 February 2010}} The new 5-storey t-shaped office block with street-level retail units was designed by Lardner and Partners.{{sfn|McDonald|1985|p=15}} The new building, completed in 1967 was called Nassau House. Permission was granted to demolish this block in 2016,{{cite news |last1=Daly |first1=Gavin |title=Nassau House to fall |url=https://www.thetimes.com/world/ireland-world/article/nassau-house-to-fall-dd85kf592 |access-date=3 November 2020 |work=The Sunday Times |date=2 October 2016 |language=en}} and the construction of a replacement mixed-use development is due for completion in 2022.{{cite news |last1=Quinlan |first1=Ronald |title=BCP and Meyer Bergman secure €100m towards Dublin 2 scheme |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/business/commercial-property/bcp-and-meyer-bergman-secure-100m-towards-dublin-2-scheme-1.4061716 |access-date=3 November 2020 |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=30 October 2019 |language=en}}

The Royal Hibernian Hotel was a prominent landmark on the street, and at one point was the oldest hotel in Ireland, opening in 1751. It was popular with wealthy country dwellers and frequented by British Army officers in the 19th century, but gradually declined at the start of the 20th.{{cite web|url=https://arrow.tudublin.ie/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1003&context=hibhot|title=The History of the Hibernian Hotel|publisher=Technological University Dublin|access-date=3 June 2021}} It was sold in 1982 by the owners, Trust House Forte and demolished two years later, only 4 years after an extensive renovation.{{sfn|Bennett|2005|p=62}}{{sfn|McDonald|1985|p=103}} The hotel was replaced with a large mixed-use development, the Royal Hibernian Way, completed in 1987.{{cite news |last1=Oram |first1=Hugh |title=An Irishman's Diary |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-irishman-s-diary-1.1001569 |access-date=9 January 2021 |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=11 May 2006 |language=en}}{{cite web |title=The History of Dawson Street |url=https://www.dublintown.ie/the-history-of-dawson-street/ |website=DublinTown |access-date=9 January 2021 |language=en |date=20 March 2020}}

Dawson Luas stop is on the Luas Cross City extension. The line links the Red and Green lines going from Broombridge in North Dublin (interchange with Irish Rail station) and St. Stephen's Green Green Line stop. Construction started in June 2013 with services beginning on 9 December 2017.{{cite web|title=Green light given to Luas link-up, first passengers 2017 |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0803/green-light-given-to-luas-link-up.html |publisher=RTÉ |access-date=5 August 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120805170408/http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0803/green-light-given-to-luas-link-up.html |archive-date=5 August 2012 }}{{cite web|url = https://www.rte.ie/news/dublin/2017/1209/926142-luas/ | publisher = RTÉ | title = Taoiseach launches new Luas Cross City service in Dublin | date = 9 December 2017 | access-date = 9 December 2017 }}

• List of streets and squares in Dublin

{{reflist}}

Sources

{{refbegin}}

• {{cite book|title=The Encyclopaedia of Dublin|first=Douglas|last=Bennett|publisher=Gill & Macmillan|year=2005|isbn=978-0-717-13684-1}}
• {{cite book|title=Dublin: The City Within the Grand and Royal Canals and the Circular Road with the Phoenix Park|first=Christine|last=Casey|publisher=Yale University Press|year=2005|isbn=978-0-30010-923-8}}
• {{cite book|title=The Destruction of Dublin|first=Frank|last=McDonald|publisher=Gill and MacMillan|year=1985|isbn=0-7171-1386-8}}

{{refend}}

• [https://www.luascrosscity.ie/ LUAS Cross City Project Website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141220113053/http://www.luascrosscity.ie/ |date=20 December 2014 }}

{{Streets in Dublin city|state=autocollapse}}

Category:Streets in Dublin (city)

Category:Shopping districts and streets in Ireland

Category:St Stephen's Green