[ad_1]
A landmark building that once housed the Sextant Pub in Cork City has been demolished.
The demolition took place last night, and the site was cleared for a planned apartment tower development.
Earlier this year, An Bord Pleanála granted permission to build 201 apartments for rent on the Carey Tool Hire site and the old bar on Albert Quay.
You will see 93 one-bedroom apartments, 104 two-bedroom apartments and four three-bedroom apartments in a building that ranges in height from eight to 11 to 24 stories above the ground floor.
The Sextant opened in 1877, close to the West Cork railway line, and was first run as a hotel before becoming a pub in the early 1900s.
There was a torrent of sadness and nostalgia when it was first announced that The Sextant was closing, and many were concerned about the loss of historic buildings in Cork in the name of progress.
“It is always a sad day to see an old building in Cork being torn down to make way for progress, especially one that is iconic in location and character like the old Sextant bar,” said councilman and historian Kieran McCarthy. It really contributed to the landscape and sense of place and identity of the Cork Docklands for nearly 140 years. It has seen boom and bust in Cork and if the building could talk, there would be so many stories to tell.
“Initially built in 1877, it was first a hotel, run by the Sexton family, which provided accommodation for passengers using the Cork-Bandon and South Coast Railway. Shortly thereafter it became a tavern run by the Markham family. The building has only had a few owners for a hundred years, a testament to those who kept the business going on the site for so many decades. ”
Other buildings in the area will be preserved as part of the new plans.
“I welcome the fact in the wider corner of the Sextant that the old Cork-Blackrock and Passage Railway Company is ready to be preserved and renovated,” says McCarthy.
“But I remain my view that holistic conversations need to be had about what Cork South and North Docklands should look like physically in the years to come. Yes, the city should evolve, but I wouldn’t like the Cork docks story, which city during several centuries lost by the excavator to give way to a glass box architecture and a public space without stories.
“For me I want to see buildings with character, streets and public space with cultural references and some references to the history of the Cork docks.”
Loftus Demolition August 29, 2020.
Photo; Larry Cummins
[ad_2]