The Garda Club on Harrington Street, Dublin 2, is to close and the premises are to be sold exactly 50 years after they first opened.

Wesley Rothwell of agents CBRE is quoting in the region of €1.95 million for the Dublin Metropolitan Garda Recreation Club which was at its peak in the 1960s and 1970s when it held ballroom dancing a few nights a week.

It also had a members’ bar in the basement.

The club was officially opened in 1964 by the then garda commissioner Edmund Garvey, who was later to be dismissed by Jack Lynch's Fianna Fáil Government after it lost confidence in him. At that time, many young gardaí were residing in Garda stations .

The success of the club later allowed the members to set up Westmanstown (Stackstown) golf course in the Dublin mountains.

The club is based in two adjoining three-storey over basement terraced buildings at 8/10 Harrington Road.

In recent years, the ground floor has been converted into offices although there is still a function room to the rear.

There is a second function room on the first floor as well as a kitchen, ancillary rooms and offices.

The second floor is in residential use, divided into five units which are currently producing an annual rent of €39,000.

The buildings have an overall floor area of more than 1,912 sq m (20,580 sq ft).

There is a mews site to the rear extending to 0.03 of an acre fronting on to Synge Street.

The main building may well be converted into student accommodation or individual apartments.