Work will begin today to reinstate a 19th-century listed archway in Temple Bar, Dublin, which was taken down last week after it became unstable.
Temple Bar Properties (TBP) will start rebuilding the arch in its original position in Fishamble Street in time for the annual performance of Handel's Messiah at the site next month.
Kennan's Arch was built in the 1820s and stood in front of the site of a former music hall in Fishamble Street where Handel's Messiah was first performed in 1742.
The plaster, brick and timber structure, which had served as the entrance to Kennan's iron works, had been supported by steel braces for two years. It was taken down by hand last week on the instruction of Dublin Corporation after a crack was discovered in a supporting brick column on Tuesday.
Temple Bar Properties is building several apartments blocks between Parliament Street and Fishamble Street in a major redevelopment of the area's west end.
The archway led into the courtyard of one of the new developments where a refashioned outline of the footprint of the famous music hall can be seen.
The area has been described by Dublin Civic Trust as one of the most important sites in Dublin. Both Dublin Corporation and TBP are investigating the cause of the destabilisation of the arch.
The managing director of TBP, Ms Laura Magahy, said she was devastated that the arch's support had started to crack.
She said it was taken down carefully by hand under the supervision of an archaeologist, and all the materials were retained. Work would start today on reassembling it in time for the April 13th performance of Messiah in front of it.
TBP has also commissioned a Dublin artist, Mr Laurent Mellet, to design steel gates for the archway and to construct a sculpture in the adjacent courtyard based on Handel's work.
Under recent legislation it is an offence to damage a protected structure. A conviction carries various penalties, including a fine of up to £1 million and up to five years' imprisonment.