Bank of Ireland Buildings - Royal Avenue, Belfast, UK
N 54° 36.133 W 005° 55.900
30U E 310641 N 6054478
The Art-Deco Bank of Ireland Buildings stand at the junction of Royal Avenue and North Street in Belfast. The building, designed by J V Downes opened in 1930 where it was occupied by the Bank of Ireland until 2005 from whence it has remained empty.
Waymark Code: WM11EQ4
Location: Ulster, Ireland
Date Posted: 10/09/2019
Views: 1
The Department for Communities website has an article about the Bank of Ireland Buildings that tells us:
Occupying a prominent corner site in the centre of Belfast, this former Bank of Ireland was designed by J.V. Downes of McDonnell & Dixon of Dublin in 1928-30. According to Larmour, Downes was later to become “a leading figure in the Modern Movement in the Republic of Ireland”. Art Deco in style and constructed of a steel frame clad in Portland stone, the building has a chamfered corner with tiered clock tower rising above the roofline that is perhaps its most striking feature. The building was occupied by the bank of Ireland until 2005, where the building remained for sale until 2015 and it is hoped that the building will benefit from a heritage-led scheme. The building was also brought into the headlines in 2012 when the building was occupied by protestors under the Occupy Belfast banner.