The Irish Times

The Bloomsday demolition of a 1930s neo-classical factory in Dublin took place just three days after An Bord Pleanála said it should be retained. Artist James Hanley had successfully appealed against the Collen Group's plans to replace the landmark Wiggins Teape building on the East Wall Road with an office development. A member of the Department of Foreign Affairs' Cultural Relations Committee, he said yesterday he was "in shock" over its bulldozing. Contacted yesterday, Mr Martin Glynn, a director of the Collen Group, was not prepared to discuss the demolition. He had earlier told RTÉ that the company was "perfectly within its rights" to do what it did, as the building was unlisted and "dangerous". Built in 1931 for the Gallaher tobacco company, it was designed by Belfast architect John Stevenson. He was also responsible for Boland's Bakery on Lower Grand Canal Street, which is now the Treasury Building.