MacCurtain Street

This street, as we know it today, began to develop after the construction of St Patrick’s Bridge in 1789. In 1801 it was called ‘Strand Street’ and buildings had developed at the Patrick’s Hill end of the street, along with the run of large townhouses that now form the block from The Rezz to the 5 Points café and an isolated block in the middle which seems to show the pair of large houses you can see illustrated in the accompanying image.

For much of the 19th century a large area of land on the north side of the street remained undeveloped, as it was being used as a quarry. The sheer rock face in the courtyard behind Isaacs and Cask is a reminder of that landscape. As late as 1869 the site remained vacant, but by the 1880s the gap was filled. Cask, Isaacs and Stokes were built as a single development ‘Hibernia Buildings’ in 1879, while next door to the left, ‘Victoria Buildings’ dates from 1898. On the other side of the street, you can read about what came before Spar, and the Swiss Roll Factory.