Over the past 175 years, the Meeting Hall at 73 George’s Avenue in Blackrock has undergone a few changes of use. It began life as one of Ireland’s first Methodist churches, built in 1847 following a visit to Ireland by Methodist founder John Wesley. It then became a meeting hall for the church, and at the turn of this century it was changed to an office, shared by three architectural practices.
A few years ago, planning permission was obtained to turn the building into a two-bedroom home, and it took some serious architectural flair from Brazil Associates to transform this building with vaulted ceilings and high Gothic windows into a stylish contemporary living space. Job done, the Meeting Hall is for sale through Sherry FitzGerald asking €1.05 million.
George’s Avenue is a quiet residential area just around the corner from the Frascati shopping centre in Blackrock, and two minutes’ walk from Blackrock village. The Meeting Hall sits behind wrought-iron gates and a lovely, landscaped front garden, and blends in unobtrusively with the period houses along the avenue.
You enter a lovely tiled vestibule via a door to the side, and this opens out into the main part of the house, which will take your breath away. Instead of dividing the interior into two storeys, the architects have retained the 5m floor-to-ceiling height of the former church, allowing for a stunning living area with the tall church windows bringing in the light from above and solid oak floors bringing comfort and style underfoot.
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So where do the other rooms go, in this 147sq m (1,580sq ft) property? There is an upstairs, but it’s a mezzanine-style bedroom to the rear that allows the line of the well-insulated roof to remain unbroken. From here you can look down on the livingroom and really get an idea of the scale and space. The mezzanine can be put to a variety of uses – an office or study, a reading room, or even a yoga room.
Below the mezzanine is a modern kitchen-diningroom that is sleek and contemporary, and also has a walk-in larder. The architects added a low window looking out to the rear courtyard, and the owner says it has really enhanced the kitchen area. “It’s really nice to sit here and have your coffee by the window,” says the owner. Off the livingroom there is a handy utility area and guest WC.
To the rear of the house is a stylish, contemporary extension built with anthracite brick and clad in grey zinc. At first, says the owner, she was a bit iffy about the zinc-clad look, but the result is a superb blend of old and new. On the ground floor of the extension is the main bedroom with en suite shower room, while the upper floor has a large en suite that is accessed from the mezzanine. The classic and modern parts of the house are joined by a short, light-filled lobby.
The main bedroom opens out to a lovely, private patio, from where you can appreciate the tasteful blending of old church building and new extension. When the building was used as commercial offices, this courtyard was affectionately known as “the boardroom”.
Uplights to the front and rear of the house really bring out the building’s facade at night, but it’s when you stand just inside the vestibule and look up at the 5m high vaulted ceiling, you can really feel your soul has found its way home.
