THE RANK Organisation announced plans in 1962 to replace the Theatre Royal and the Regal Cinema in Dublin’s Hawkins Street with a 12-storey modern office block which became Hawkins House, one of the ugliest buildings in Dublin. The announcement was made by the company’s deputy chairman John Davis who also said they planned to build a 10-pin bowling alley behind the Gresham Hotel and a 72-room motel outside Cork.
The film industry in Ireland and in Britain was going through a period of tribulation, and this was true elsewhere. This was not merely because of television, but because living standards had been raised and were continuing to rise. There had to be a complete remodelling of the film industry and this had led to the closing down of the older, uneconomic types of property. “Unfortunately, the Theatre Royal comes into that category,” he said. “It has not been profitable for some time and showed no indication that it would be profitable again as it stands.” There was no alternative but to close it down, a decision which had been taken with reluctance. A great deal of thought had been given to the use to which the site of the Royal could be put, and it was decided that there was great scope for a modern office block in Dublin.
Sir Thomas Bennett, the architect , said that it might well be asked why the concept of a modern office block should be successful in Dublin. The steadily-increasing standard of living and the increase in wages had meant that it was essential to have economic, efficient buildings. The standards which staff expected to find in their homes and in their offices were also increasing. An office worker was no longer prepared to eat his sandwich at his desk: he wanted proper amenities.
The average man should be housed in a first-class manner, and that could not be done with hashed-up buildings.
This had been proved in the United States and in London. When modern offices were built, they did not always compare with other buildings as far as rent was concerned: therefore, simplicity of construction was essential.
In the office block on the Royal site the architects had employed a basic planning unit of sub-division of four feet, with walls 16ft apart. This would give the user something like eight feet for a typist, 12 for an office manager, 16 for a director and 20 for a managing director. The building would be served by two pairs of fully automatic high-speed lifts, substantial toilet accommodation for staff, together with a special toilet for senior executives and directors. The projecting block, which would face roughly north, would be strong enough to take such equipment as mechanical computers.
The main face of the building would be 45ft behind the present pathway on Hawkins Street and the street itself would be widened. There would be parking spaces for 128 cars. This might not be sufficient some years from now, but they had allowed twice the space allowed for cars in London, which he thought was a good yardstick by which
to work.
The frame of the building will be constructed in reinforced concrete with complete absence of cross beams, and the area fronting on Hawkins Street and Poolbeg street would be treated with decorative paving and planting.
Sir Thomas declined to give any indication of the cost of the new building and said that this could not be accurately arrived at until tenders had been received. Rental was estimated on a square foot basis, and while it was not yet possible to estimate rental in the new building, it was estimated that in London the cost was 35/- [£1.75] a square foot for a building without air conditioning, exclusive of rates.
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