Vacant space over O'Connell Street shop to become artists' studios

A VACANT OVER-SHOP on Dublin’s O’Connell Street is to become a space for artists’ studios through a new pilot programme spearheaded by Dublin City Council and real estate investor Mel Sutcliffe. 

The Manfield Chambers building over the Asics footwear store on one of Dublin’s most famous streets has been unused for a number of years. 

Asset Management firm Quanta Capital, which is in ownership of the building, has been in talks with Dublin City Council officials and Visual Artists Ireland to launch the one-year pilot scheme, which will see 21 studios offered as workspaces for artists in Ireland. 

The spaces will be let out at a rent of between €200 and €300 a month

Mel Sutcliffe, the founder of Quanta, told The Journal that he is “delighted” to see the pilot programme going ahead following the full restoration of the building, which his company have carried out over the last two years. 

“I’ve known this street my whole life, and I’ve never accepted that its best days are behind it,” he said. 

“O’Connell Street is our main street. It deserves real ambition and everyone who cares about Dublin has a role to play in bringing it back to life,” Sutcliffe added. 

The current Mainfield Chambers building was reconstructed in 1917 following the destruction of the Easter Rising, and its first recorded use was as a retail premises. 

Sutcliffe said that Asics will continue trading on the ground floor of the building while the top four floors will be developed into spaces for artists. 

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“The upper floors of too many buildings on O’Connell Street lie empty, and I would rather see ours filled with working artists, contributing their vision, than the building remaining empty above street level,” he added. 

Sutcliffe said that he is “proud” to be a part of the scheme, and that he sees it as an investment in “the future of our city” as “we all benefit from having more artists in Dublin city centre”. 

He added that he hopes that the initiative will encourage other owners of properties that are vacant above shop level in Dublin city centre to consider alternative uses.

Social Democrats councillor Ellen Doherty said that this pilot programme is part of the council’s broader aim of developing vacant spaces and expanding artist’s spaces in the city. 

“We have an issue with vacancy above shop units across the city, so it’s great to see projects like this. This should be the default approach to looking at how those spaces can be used rather than the exception,” she said. 

Doherty added that she believes that the initiative and others like it will be “vital” for re-energising O’Connell Street and the North inner city at large. 

Applications are now open on the Visual Artists Ireland’s (VAI’s) webpage for artists to express an interest in taking part. 

Visual Arts Ireland note that the pilot will run for a year initially, and following a preliminary assessment, it will be part of an “open call” for a provider to take over the management of the business model. 

“Artists in the pilot will be given priority about continuing beyond the pilot period,” VAI notes. 

The pilot programme will launch in September.