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The earliest building facing Upper Cecil Street was, as we have seen earlier was built as the Offices of St. Michael's Parish Commissioners in 1833-1834 to the plans of Mr. John Fogarty C.E. (c.1802-1899). These Offices had been built in 1833/34 as the administrative centre - in effect the "rebel" Town Hall, of St. Michael's Parish Commissioners. John Fogarty CE (1802-1892) and his younger brother Joseph Fogarty (c.1804-1883), the architect who built the Tudor style Leamy School in 1841, the Theatre Royal in Henry street which remained in the family until 1921, founded a dynasty of architects and engineers whose work can be found all over Ireland, England, Austria and the United States. John Fogarty had two sons: Joseph Fogarty CE (1831-1899) who emigrated to England in 1859 became a Railway Engineer in England and who designed the Vienna Elevated Circular Railway. In his spare time, he was a successful novelist who wrote "Catherina", a novel about Limerick and Catherine Hayes, the famous soprano from that city, which was published in London by Hurst and Blackett in 1887 and his second son, William Fogarty (1834-1878) who is credited in the Limerick Chronicle in an obituary as follows: "although only 44 years of age, he had earned a high reputation in his profession and was unquestionably one of the most distinguished architects in the country. Amongst the many buildings which he designed the following are only a few:- The Protestant Hall, Limerick, the establishment of Cannock & Tait, George Street, Mr Hogg, Dr Day, and Messrs Boyd ( now in the course of erection), the beautiful mansion of Mr Phelps, Castleconnell, Mr Revington's house at Ardagh, the Munster Arcade, Cork, the Lunatic Asylum, Ennis, the Wesleyn College, Belfast, a magnificent Episcopalian Church in New York, Violet Hall House, Bray and the residence of Mr Edward Griffin, son of the late Bishop of Limerick. Mr Fogarty also designed the William Smith O' Brien Mausoleum and the ancient Irish cross erected by the late Venerable Archdeacon Goold, to the memory of his daughter. Mr Fogarty was also ex President of the Architects' Association of Ireland. He was in his usual excellent health up to a fortnight ago, when he took ill of smallpox, of a virulent type, which is at present raging in Dublin, and succumbed to the fatal attack".
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John Fogarty CE died in Limerick in 1892 aged 90 years. There was no obituary in the local newspapers. His younger brother Joseph Fogarty who died in 1887 fared little better. He is at least remembered for his Theatre Royal, Leamy School and Plassey House, the nerve centre of the University of Limerick is attributed to him. Joseph Fogarty was a keen supporter of the Limerick Athenaeum and gave a benefit concert for them at his Theatre Royal. In later years his son, Dr. W.A. Fogarty. MD served on the Council of the Athenaeum in 1889 during a crucial period of its history when Limerick Corporation again tried to seize the building from the Athenaeum Council. In 1853 the Commissioners of St. Michael's Parish and the Corporation of Limerick re-merged into one corporate body to govern the city. As a result the premises became vacant and the lease was acquired by William Lane Joynt to become the home of the Limerick Athenaeum. At a General Meeting of the Limerick Athenaeum early in 1855 the following was recorded:
to Builders, Contractors to contract for the building of a lecture Theatre for the
Limerick Athenaeum in Cecil Street, agreeable to plans and specifications to be
seen at Mr John Fogarty's Office, 25 Catherine-street.
Apply to William Fitzgerald. May 19, 1855
Notices to Tender were published in all the local newspapers in March. A prize of £5 was offered for the best plan for a lecture theatre at the Athenaeum site to fit 500-600 members. In early May, the tender of Mr John Fogarty, C.E., who had drawn up the plans for the first phase in 1833 was accepted.
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| Georgian Doorway designed by William Pain |
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designed by James Pain Courtesy of Limerick Civic Trust |
by William Pain. c.1780 |
designed by James Pain
designed by James Pain
Opening of The Athenœum Lecture Hall
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Construction work on the second phase, the Athenœum Lecture Hall, began immediately. During construction, the Leamy School was used for public meetings and was the venue of the opening of the Limerick Athenaeum by Maguire. The lecture theatre in Upper Cecil was completed in late December and opened to the public January 1856 with a showing of Panorama. The ceremonial opening was performed by the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, the Earl of Carlisle in July 1856. The Limerick Chronicle described the splendid new lecture hall. with its three light domes in the ceiling as "the finest Hall for its special purpose in Ireland".
The final building attached to the Athenaeum was in the 1890s when the Athenaeum was under the auspices of the Technical Education Committee who purchased an adjoining building and built an extension in the rear where cookery, needlework classes etc took place. This building later became the Employment Exchange. The architect was Mr Michael Hennessy CE who designed the spire at St..John's Cathedral (completed 1883), the spire at the Redemptorist Church and the Sacred Heart chapel at the Dominican Church. Michael Hennessy was elected on the Athenaeum Council in 1889.