Dossier 1 - Condition Report and Survey Drawings

Condition Report and Survey Drawings by William A. Maguire & Associates, architects, 34 Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2. The report was prepared in preparation for major renovation work on St. Mary of the Angels which got underway in the mid-1970s. The introduction to the report affirmed that the ‘ultimate objective of the exercise is the adaptation of St. Mary of the Angels to conform with current Liturgical principle and to achieve this … a comprehensive survey of the existing building has now been carried out and accurate scale plans prepared’. The architect’s report also noted that the original plans of the Church were no longer available. The report is divided into seven sections:
I. Introduction: History and Development
II. Walls and Plastering
III. Floors
IV. Roofs
V. Gutters and Downpipes
VI. Water tanks, Heating, Hot Water Services, Electrical
VII. Re-Planning and Summary
The summary concluded that the Friary and adjoining Church were ‘generally in good structural condition’ but that a considerable amount of money would need to be expended to bring the buildings up to modern standards and requirements. ‘The high cost of repair and improvement’, the report concluded, emanated, ‘from the uneconomic planning of the Friary and the height of the Church’.