Bank of Ireland, 92-100 Royal Avenue, Belfast, Co Antrim, BT1 1DL

Bank of Ireland, 92–100 Royal Avenue, Belfast

This is a four-storey Art Deco bank building with a basement and corner tower, constructed between 1928 and 1930. It was designed by Joseph Vincent Downes (c.1890–1967) of the Dublin practice McDonnell & Dixon, and built by the local firm J & R Thompson. It stands on the northwest corner of Royal Avenue and North Street in central Belfast. On its completion, the Irish Builder described it as "frankly modern in design [and] the best modern building in Belfast." It is one of the finest examples of the Art Deco movement in Northern Ireland, and is notable as an early example of steel-frame construction. It was listed in 1990 and has since been added to the Buildings at Risk Register following its closure in 2005.

Architectural Overview

The building is faced in ashlar Portland stone, erected over a steel frame. The flat roof is hidden behind a parapet, and the curved roof of the corner tower is clad in copper sheeting. The overall composition places strong emphasis on verticality, achieved through full-height pilasters, slit recesses, and tall, diminishing window openings set within three-storey stepped stone recesses. The parapet features stepped "keystone" blocks, and decorative panels are incorporated throughout the stonework. The tiered corner tower has stepped corners and is capped with vertical slit recesses and a square clock face.

The windows are metal-framed, generally six-pane with top-hung lights. The main windows are set in flat-lintelled openings with lintels decorated with rectangles; above each opening is a panel decorated with ears of corn in low relief. Decorated metal apron panels, also decorated with ears of corn, appear at second-floor level, and at first-floor level similar panels carry the lettering "BANK OF IRELAND." The doors are metal-framed with decorative framing set in front of glazing; each doorway has double doors with an overlight.

Southeast Elevation (Royal Avenue and North Street Corner)

This is the principal elevation. It has a canted corner to the south rising to the tower, and a secondary entrance bay to the north rising as a pier to the fourth floor. Between these, the fourth floor is set back behind the parapet. The canted corner is one window wide; the remaining elevation is four windows wide.

The corner itself features a window opening rising from the first to the second floor and a further window opening to the fourth floor. The tower above has vertical slit recesses and a square clock. The central entrance doorway is framed by chamfered pilasters, with a panel above featuring an exaggerated keystone. Above this is original carved lettering reading "BANK OF IRELAND," painted black in relief, and a figurative head of the Greek goddess Medusa in low stone relief over the doorway itself. Granite steps lead up to the entrance.

The three windows to the right of the corner rise vertically between floors. The outermost windows at first and second floors are six-paned; the ground-floor window below has three panes and sits above the doorway, which has a flat stepped architrave of slightly raised stone incorporating a panel with original carved relief lettering painted black reading "BANK OF IRELAND BUILDINGS." The basement windows are multi-paned.

Southwest Elevation

This elevation generally matches the southeast elevation in character, but has two full-height windows. The openings in the northern portion of the stonework are vertical slits with three-paned windows.

Northwest and Northeast Elevations

The northwest elevation is abutted by a two-storey building. The northeast elevation is abutted by a modern building.

Historical Background

Before the Bank of Ireland was built, the corner of Royal Avenue and North Street was occupied by a gin palace known as Palace Chambers, operated by J. A. Armstrong and described as one of Belfast's "landmark bars." The building was a three-storey brick and stucco structure with barrel roof dormers, designed in 1900 by J. J. McDonnell (1857–1924) of the same practice. Photographs from around 1908 show the façade advertised Armstrong's business as "importers of wine." McDonnell & Dixon's original plans for the replacement building proposed a predictable Baroque design, but the appointment of Downes as a partner in 1927 resulted in the adoption of the current Art Deco scheme. The Bank of Ireland on Royal Avenue was the first contract Downes completed after joining the practice; he remained with McDonnell & Dixon until establishing an independent practice in 1935, going on to become a leading figure of the Irish Modernist Movement.

The building was first valued in the Annual Revisions in 1930, at £794, though this was quickly reduced to £713 following an appeal by the bank's governors and directors. Under the First General Revaluation of Northern Ireland in 1935, the rateable value was increased to £1,076. At that time, the Bank of Ireland occupied the entire building, though one of the upper offices was leased to Charles Tennant & Co. Northern Ireland, a building materials supplier. A second general revaluation, completed in 1972, recorded a rateable value of £1,342; by this point a number of minor firms had also taken over some office space, alongside the Bank of Ireland and Charles Tennant & Co.

The bank operated for over 75 years before closing in 2005, after which the building fell vacant and into a state of dereliction.

Later Alterations

In the late 20th century, the northernmost three bays were added, extending the building along its Royal Avenue elevation. This extension was designed sympathetically, employing similar features to the original, including long vertical glazing runs.

Setting and Context

The Bank of Ireland forms a visual stop at the end of Royal Avenue and North Street, occupying a prominent corner position on what is a major junction. Each of the other corners of this junction is also occupied by a listed building. The building sits within a conservation area.

The bank does not stand in isolation as an example of the Art Deco movement in Belfast. It was constructed opposite nos 89–93 Royal Avenue, a contemporary Art Deco experiment that fused modern faience with classical features. In 1935 this was followed by nos 95–101 Royal Avenue, a more overt expression of the movement, comparable to the Bank of Ireland in its use of geometric features and a modern clock tower.