First Seán Dunne promised to bring Knightsbridge to Ballsbridge. Now a northside developer is aiming to bring Paris to Clontarf with the launch of an apartment complex based loosely on the Louvre, with a copy of IM Pei's famous glass pyramid as its centrepiece.
The scheme at 119 Howth Road is yet to be built but developer Eric Whelan claims to have sold 30 of the 52 apartments, priced from €675,000 for a one-bed up to €2.75 million for a lavish three-bedroom penthouse.
While Howth Road is a top northside address, the pre-sales will surprise other developers who are struggling to sell completed units across the city.
At last night's launch party at Clontarf Castle a 15-piece orchestra entertained guests who sipped champagne as they studied plans for the €68 million scheme billed as Ireland's first "hybrid" development - translated, this means apartments with a hotel's ambience and service.
"The development introduces for the first time the concept of hotel-lifestyle accommodation, influenced by New York's Park Avenue," says the brochure.
The architectural design of 119 has been inspired by the Musée du Louvre in Paris, with pride of place in the enclosed courtyard given to a 8sq m at base glass pyramid, below which lies a private swimming pool.
The big selling point, however, is the concierge service, to include a chef, personal shopper, chauffeur, butler, maid, trainer, and chauffeur-driven helicopter and private jet connections.
