R&H Hall: A building that loomed large in Cork artists' imaginations
The former R&H Hall building in Cork continues to inspire local artists even after its demolition. Picture: Larry Cummins
No sooner is she down than she’s being celebrated - and missed. The “she” in question is the recently demolished R&H hall grainstore on Cork’s South Docks. Even though most vertically ambitious buildings are considered male, R&H Hall always seemed female to me – a big, blowsy mother ship.
The two silo towers on the site were built in 1934 and 1954, respectively, and they loomed over the docklands for over 80 years, most of them working, though in the past two decades they have been empty and heading towards dereliction. The demolition work started in January and it’s taken over four months to bring the mighty Amazons down.
