Custom House
Custom House
Custom House (Custom House Quay, near Memorial Road, Dublin 1) – this is a neoclassical 18th century building in downtown Dublin. It currently houses the Dept. of the Environment, Community and Local Government. During the building’s early years, it was exclusively the headquarters of the Commissioners of Custom and Excise; however by the beginning of the twentieth century, the dominant role of the Custom House was in relation to local government.
Custom House was caught up in the Irish War of Independence in 1921, when the Irish Republican Army (IRA) burnt it down, in its attempt to disrupt British rule over the country. The subsequent Irish Free State government restored it by 1928, including the dome.
Further restoration works were done in the 1980s, after it was discovered that the building’s large cornice was in danger of collapsing from the damage caused by the 1921 fire, and the rusting of the ironwork braces holding the stonework together. Given its grand architectural design, Custom House wouldn’t be out of place in Paris, France (where similar structures are more commonly found).