plaque

Carved granite plaque, dated 1799, now wall-mounted on corner-sited attached seven-bay three-storey office building, built c.1980, with five-bay elevation to south.

The original Commercial Buildings, a seven-bay three-storey granite palazzo, was built on this street by Dublin merchants 1796-9, to designs by architect Edward Parke. The stone plaque of a sailing ship, dated 1799, fixed to the brickwork panel on College Green, refers to the Ouzel Galley Society, a merchants’ club which met in the Commercial Buildings. The plaque is the only surviving original fabric and is a particularly significant feature which is often overlooked. As part of the construction of the Central Bank, a number of surrounding buildings, including the one on this site, were demolished. The stones of the Commercial Buildings street elevation were numbered with the intention of rebuilding. However they were not reused and the present building is a reproduction by Sam Stephenson, erected perpendicular to the original. While the building itself is not of particular significance, the plaque is of note.