2714 - 11-12 Exchange Street Lower, Dublin 08

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RPS 2714 — 11–12 Exchange Street Lower, Dublin 8. RPS describes the entry as "Building", but the standing structures on this plot have been demolished; what survives is a cleared, fenced site with sub-surface archaeology. Treat "protected structure" here as a site/remains designation, not a standing building. (High)

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Research metadata

Subject: 11–12 Exchange Street Lower, Dublin 8 (RPS Ref. No. 2714)
RPS source: Dublin City Development Plan 2022–2028, Volume 4 — Record of Protected Structures [6]
RPS description (authoritative starting point): "Building"
Scope: Vacancy / dereliction status, identification, history, planning & enforcement, reuse potential
Building-match status: Resolved with caveat — RPS plots 11 & 12 are confirmed, but the protected buildings were demolished (see Current Status). (High)
Overall evidence grade: Strong — primary planning (An Coimisiún Pleanála CPO file), archaeological record, and corroborating media

Quick facts

RPS Ref. No.	2714 [6]
Address	11–12 Exchange Street Lower, Dublin 8 (historically recorded as Dublin 2 in older files) [5]
Area / context	South city centre, edge of Temple Bar; ~40 m west of Parliament Street, ~35 m south of Essex Quay; adjoining Smock Alley Theatre cluster [1][9]
RPS description	"Building" (now demolished — see below) (High)
Current physical state	Cleared, vacant, overgrown plot behind palisade fencing; no buildings within its bounds [1][4] (High)
Demolition	Buildings demolished c.2008 per DCC (CPO file) [1]; reported as "10 years ago" (~2012) by Dublin Inquirer [4] — year disputed (Medium)
Archaeology	Within walled medieval city; RMP remains incl. Dutch Billy houses and a probable 17th-c. building; medieval kiln in situ (2014) [1][4][5] (High)
Ownership / status	Subject of confirmed DCC Compulsory Purchase Order (ABP-315277-22), signed 12/09/2024 [2][3] (High)
On Derelict Sites Register?	Not confirmed on the published DCC Derelict Sites Register (Unverified) [7]

Summary

11–12 Exchange Street Lower is an RPS-listed entry (Ref. 2714) on the edge of Temple Bar, within the walled medieval core of Dublin. Although the RPS records it as a "Building," the late-17th/early-18th-century "Dutch Billy"-type houses that justified the listing no longer stand — Dublin City Council states they were demolished around 2008 [1], with media reporting demolition closer to 2012 [4]. The plot has since been a long-term vacant, overgrown and fenced gap site with significant sub-surface archaeology, including a medieval kiln left in situ and fragments of upstanding walls [1][4][5].

The site forms part of a wider regeneration block (11–14 Exchange Street Lower and 11 Essex Street West). Dublin City Council pursued and secured a Compulsory Purchase Order, confirmed by An Coimisiún Pleanála without modifications and signed on 12 September 2024, for residential/commercial redevelopment [2][3]. This is a clear-cut case of listed-but-lost fabric on a strategically located, long-vacant city-centre site with strong public-reuse momentum. (High)

Identification

RPS entry: Ref. 2714 covers buildings at plots 11 and 12 Exchange Street Lower, per Volume 4 of the City Development Plan [1][6]. (High)
Street history: Exchange Street Lower was Scarlet Lane in the 13th century (when the area was reclaimed from the Liffey) and Blind Quay in the 17th century; renamed Exchange Street c.1776 after the nearby Royal Exchange (now City Hall) [5][10]. (High)
Location precision: Near the corner of Essex Street West and Exchange Street Lower [5]. Note: a published archaeological record gives coordinates 53.3486, −6.2829 [5], but this appears imprecise relative to the actual Exchange Street Lower frontage (the adjacent Smock Alley Theatre at 6–7 Exchange Street Lower sits at ~53.3451, −6.2696 [9]). Treat exact coordinates as (Low) pending map confirmation.
Corner/terrace ambiguity: The RPS entry sits within a tightly packed historic block; adjacent numbers (13–14 Exchange Street Lower, 11 Essex Street West) are separately owned/recorded, so care is needed not to conflate plots [1][4]. (High)