Madam, – Louis Lentin (December 17th) may well be correct about the dimensions of the GPO making it unsuitable for a theatre. I would, however, like to see the views of some theatre architects on it before the idea is dismissed in the manner Mr Lentin dismisses the NCH and Imma as being housed in a former exam hall and hospital. If Paris had adopted this attitude it would never have housed one of its finest art collections in a disused railway station (Gare D’Orsay).
For me, a visit to the theatre is not just about the performance and the building. It also might include a meal, a drink, a cup of coffee, a chance to meet friends in a convivial area close to, but not in, the theatre. Siting the Abbey in the GPO would meet these extra needs far better than somewhere deep in docklands. It would also provide a focus for the continued improvement of O’Connell Street, making it something akin the Unter Den Linden in Berlin where both the Berlin Staatsoper and the Oper Komische are both located. – Yours, etc,