Cultural Buildings

Civic Trust House

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The Cork Civic Trust House is a beautiful Queen Ann Building located on 50 Popes Quay. It is set back from the road overlooking the River Lee and facing Lavitt’s Quay and the Cork Opera House.  Interesting architectural features include an early Georgian red brick façade with small-pane heavy timber sliding sash windows.

The building dates from c1700 - 1730. The architect is unknown, but the building is thought to have been built for Richard Boyle, 4th Earl of Cork.  It was then home to the Master Cooper Henry Maultby, whose cooperage was in the building adjoining. This is where barrels for the city's ale and firkins for Munster's world-renowned butter were fashioned.  The house spent a brief period in the late nineteenth-century as The County and City of Cork Hospital for Women and Children.

The building reverted to being a residence until the 1980s when it fell into disrepair until it was bought by Cork City Council. Cork Civic Trust took on the restoration of 50 Pope’s Quay as its major conservation project under the supervision of Jack Coughlan and associates. From 1997, with the support of Cork City Council, Cork Civic Trust project-managed the restoration process as the Trust’s flagship project and the Board also raised substantial funds from the private sector, including a €450,000 donation from the Musgrave Group. In all, approximately 1.5 million euro was spent on the restoration, with approximately 40% of the required funding provided by Cork City Council and the Department of the Environment Heritage and Local Government, with the remaining 60% from the private sector. The works were completed in 2003.

The Cork Civic Trust played an important role in identifying 50 Pope’s Quay long term use as a building of cultural excellence, both in its role as European Capital of Culture Headquarter and its current cultural use as an administrative cluster for key city arts organisations, Arts@CivicTrustHouse.  It is home to 8 professional arts organisations i.e. Corcadorca Theatre Company, Cork Film Centre, Cork Folk Festival, Cork International Choral Festival, Cork Jazz Festival, Cork Midsummer Arts Festival, the Irish Association of Youth Orchestras and Tigh Filí, thanks to the support of Cork City Council.  The building provides office space, shared resources and a creative space, where ideas and knowledge can flow freely. Here a large slice of Cork's thriving cultural scene is conceived, planned and delivered in a friendly and energetic atmosphere.

To celebrate Cork Heritage Open Day this year Arts@CivicTrustHouse is delighted to be showing "Mitchell & Kenyon In Ireland".  Miraculously discovered and painstakingly restored, 26 fascinating short films show Cork and Ireland at the start of the twentieth century with commentary read by Fiona Shaw and a new soundtrack.  These free screenings are in association with the British Film Institute and copies of the film on DVD, with a fascinating 18 page booklet, will be available for purchase.

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