ISME

Attached two-bay four-storey former house over basement, built c. 1745, four-storey rear return. Now in office use. Flat roof, behind reconstructed parapet with cement coping and concealed rainwater goods. Flemish bond red brick walling, recently sand-blasted and strap-pointed, over painted ashlar coping to painted render walling to basement. Square-headed window openings with plain rendered reveals, granite sills and replacement one-over-one pane timber sliding sash windows, diminishing in height to upper floors; timber sash windows to rear, including round-headed stairs window. Segmental-headed door opening in ashlar granite doorcase having panelled pilasters, open-bed pediment on console brackets, plain fanlight and six-panel timber door with replacement chrome furniture. Door opens onto partially rendered platform bridging basement, with two granite steps to street level. Basement area enclosed by decorative cast-iron railings with corner posts on chamfered granite plinth. Separate cast-iron entrance gate and recent steel steps access basement from street level. Large gabled building to rear of plots of Nos. 17-19.

A mid-eighteenth-century Georgian house, remodelled in the mid-twentieth century with some loss of historic fabric and detailing. However, it retains the well-balanced proportions and graded fenestration pattern typical of the period and is enriched with a fine pedimented ashlar granite doorcase. The four houses on this section of Kildare Street are all set back from the street-line, as shown on Rocque's map of 1756. Formerly known as Coote Lane, Kildare Street was widened and renamed in 1745 when work on Kildare (Leinster) House began, developing into an exclusive residential thoroughfare. In conjunction with the similarly dated houses to each side, No. 17 makes an important contribution to the early character of Kildare Street, which has been fairly well retained along this stretch.