Olympia canopy to be restored after crash

The canopy at the front of the Olympia Threatre, which collapsed after being hit by a lorry this morning, is to be restored.

The remains of the Olympia canopy this morning. Photo: Patrick Logue

The distinctive steel and glass structure, which was built in the 1890s, was destroyed by a reversing vehicle.

The architect overseeing the restoration of the theatre, Ms Siobhan Sexton, told ireland.comthe damaged pieces of the canopy would be securely stored pending the reconstruction.

"What I am most happy about is that no one was injured. Olympia Productions Ltd has arranged to store the pieces of the canopy and we are lucky that we have a photographic record [of the canopy]".

She said because the Olympia Theatre is a listed building under Dublin City Council's development plan the canopy will be restored rather than replaced.

Under a development plan for the theatre it had been planned to dismantle the canopy and send it to Scotland for refurbishment, Ms Sexton said.

"We are lucky that the entire back catalogue of the original constructors of the canopy, the now-defunct William McFarlane foundry, has been acquired by Heritage Engineering."

"They have the expertise to refurbish the structure and the parts will be shipped over to their factory in Scotland some time next year," she said.

Ms Sexton said an estimate before this morning's incident put the cost of refurbishment of the canopy at €120,000 although this would have to be revised.

One lane of traffic and the footpath on Dame Street were temporarily closed while the debris was removed.