School on Botanic Avenue

Detached three-bay single-storey former school, built c. 1900, having projecting gable-fronted bay to centre and porches to re-entrant corners. Now in use as autism education centre. Pitched roof with red clay ridge tiles, red brick chimneystacks having clay pots; carved granite barges with granite ball finial to gable to front, and flat roofs to porches. Red brick, laid in English garden wall bond to walls to front and side elevations over moulded red brick plinth course and having terracotta plaque to front; rendered to side elevation. Square-headed tripartite window opening to gable-fronted bay, with granite frieze and cornice supported on granite corbels; round-headed window openings elsewhere to front elevation with moulded red brick surrounds; all openings having with granite sills and replacement casement windows. Granite voussoirs to re-entrant projections (that to west converted to window and window further west converted to doorway). Doorways have timber battened doors and plain fanlights. Cast-iron railings on snecked granite plinth wall with rendered coping, red brick piers having concrete caps and matching cast-iron gates to front and wrought-iron railings on rendered plinth to south.

This well-composed former primary school provides a foil to the domestic and commercial ranges to the northwest and southeast and makes a striking contribution to the streetscape. Concrete, granite and terracotta detailing are used to favourable effect, providing a contrast with the red brick walling and lending tonal variation to the façade. The detailing places it in the context of the turn of the twentieth century and the building is marked on the 1907 map. Along with the national school opposite, it forms an important part of the social and educational fabric of Glasnevin.