The Clarence Hotel is looking to expand its premises into 9-12 Wellington Quay and 9 Essex Street East, Dublin 2, because it needs additional bedrooms, suites and conference facilities to enable it to function successfully, according to CMB Architects, who are involved in the revamp.
Brushfield Ltd, whose directors are U2's Paul Hewson, aka Bono, and David Evans, "The Edge", and developer Harry Crosbie, holds the existing hotel at 6-8 Wellington Quay and 6-8 Essex Street East on lease from Anglo-Irish Bank.
Brushfield is looking to change Numbers 9-12 Wellington quay to hotel use, restore them, and install a lift at 9 Wellington Quay.
It is also looking to build a nine-storey hotel wing at Numbers 8 and 9 Essex Street East, with five floors of bedrooms and a penthouse floor for public/conference facilities. Returns to the rear of 9, 10 and 12 Wellington Quay will be demolished as will a mews and link to the rear of Number 11 Wellington Quay
Number 9 Wellington Quay has been leased to the hotel by the City of Dublin Workingmen's Club since 1993.
Number 10 Wellington Quay was formerly owned by the Workingmen's Club but has been acquired by Brushfield which built a new premises for the club at Little Strand Street.
Numbers 11 and 12 Wellington Quay were acquired by Ravencrest Ltd in 1995 and Number 9 East Essex Street was bought by Lorijudd Investments Ltd in 1995. All parties have agreed to the development, according to the planning application to Dublin City Council.
The basement, ground and first floors of 9-12 Wellington Quay, all listed buildings, will provide office, retail, conference, office and reception areas and the second and third floors will contain bedrooms.
Wellington Quay was one of the last sections of the Quays to be completed. In 1812 the Wide Street Commission decided to link the old Custom House Quay with Crampton Quay and unveiled it a year later as Wellington Quay.
By 1850 the street was full of shops, hotels and offices with some residential accommodation on the upper floors.
The forerunner of the Clarence was located at 6 Wellington Quay, in 1831, when Samuel Steele transferred his commercial house for travellers from Great Ship Street. The hotel changed ownership several times before Patrick Clarence McDonald bought it in 1852. It went on to have successive owners and in 1937 was destroyed in a fire.
When it reopened in 1939 with Austrian oak panelling and a brick and stone facade, reminiscent of those in Belgium and Holland at the turn of the century, it was considered avant garde. Within a few decades, however, the facilities became dated because they did not have en-suite bathrooms.
In 1994 the present owners upgraded the hotel and the premises underwent extensive refurbishment.
