15, 17 & 19 Greencastle Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Group of three buildings on south side of Greencastle Street. Central one is a three storey Moderne building with flat roof. Those to either side are earlier, and two storey with pitched roofs, but have similar Moderne facade treatments.

No. 15

Two storey shop at left with Moderne detailing. Pitched natural slate roof behind a parapet. Chimney to left gable is cement rendered and coped.

Front wall is painted lined render with modern glazed aluminium shop front to ground floor, with plastic fascia above. Three equally spaced 1/1 sliding sash windows to first floor, with continuous moulded cill course forming drip mould over shop fascia. Above the windows is a projecting render platband. There is a similar platband at eaves level forming the base to a corrugated (asbestos?) frieze parapet. This is coped with concrete and has a raised central section, also with concrete coping.

Left gable is unpainted render with a single 1/1 sliding sash window to first floor. Continuing to left is the cheek of a rear return.

Three-storey rear return of no special interest abuts all of rear wall.

Right gable forms party wall with no.17.

No.17

Three storey building in Moderne style in middle of this group.

Roof is flat and concealed behind a facade parapet. Front elevation is painted lined render. Advanced rendered piers on chamfered plinths at each end. At ground floor left is vehicle access to rear, now with modern metal roller shutter. At right is shop unit with glazed timber door to right and a glazed window to left. Originally door was on left cheek (from vehicle access) and there was a large plate glass window to facade. A modern plastic fascia runs full length of facade. Above fascia is the original smooth rendered fascia with fluted friezes to each end pier. Above is a projecting platband forming a hood to the fascia.

First floor has four window openings with projecting continuous lintel with cill. Each window opening has 2x5 paned metal casements with narrow fluted (ventilator?) frieze over. Below the cill is a corrugated (asbestos?) frieze delineated at bottom by a rendered platband between the ground floor pier heads. Second floor has similar fenestration to first floor (but 2x4 paned casements). Again there is a frieze and platband below the continuous cill. There is a broad platband over the windows at eaves level. Over this is a corrugated parapet with concrete coping and raised central section.

Between central windows at first floor is a projecting clock. It is contained within a rectangular metal casing and has a square white face to each side, each with Art Deco numbers. The casing is reeded to each side and louvred to top and bottom, with an embattled Art Deco top. A small plastic name sign has been applied to the casing below the clock face on both sides

Left and right gables are rendered and abutted by lower buildings. The left gable has an attached rendered chimney. The right gable is abutted to centre by the rendered chimney stack of no.19.

Rear elevation has a large two-storey return to left bay. Right bay is smooth unpainted render, with roller shuttered opening at ground floor. At first floor, the return projects over the passage below and only a narrow portion of rear wall of main block remains, containing a pair of two-pane metal casements. To second floor is a metal framed window as those on facade.

The return is of no special merit and has undergone a number of alterations and additions. In its end gable are two date stones (possibly repositioned from elsewhere): '1867' (in stone) and '1945' (cement render). At the very back is a long one-storey mass-concrete building with Belfast truss roof.

No.19

Two storey shop, the right of a group of three with similar Moderne detailing. Pitched natural slate roof with parapet gutter to facade. Two chimneys (left rendered, right brick), both tied into the gables of buildings to either side.

Front elevation is painted lined rendered with modern shop to ground floor left and roller shutter to former vehicle entrance at right. Continuous modern plastic fascia over all. First floor has two modern 1/1 top-hung windows, between which is a roundel within which is an applied spoked bicycle wheel. Around the top edge of the wheel are the words: “Repairer to”, and the letters “CTC” (= Cyclists Touring Club) appear in the wheel, between three applied wings. Over the first floor windows is a raised platband, and at eaves level a second similar band over which is a corrugated parapet frieze and raised coping as no.15.

Left and right gables abutted by adjoining buildings.

Rear elevation is smooth rendered and abutted to right bay a return of no interest. In the corner between the left bay of the main block and the return is a modern brick annexe with flat roof at eaves level. The return is abutted by another return, the exposed gable of which carries two date stones: ‘'1920 / D. McAtee’ and '1956'.

Historical information

Buildings are shown here on the 1834 town map, and three houses are shown in the 1860 town map, and described in the 1862 valuation. Rankin suggests that the present façade dates to the 1930s. McAtee & Sons, Motor Engineers, are noted at this location in the Town Directory from 1937 onwards. The façade makeover probably dates to this time, and looks very similar in detail to the Vogue Cinema, Newry Street (Hb16/03/020) which dates from 1940.

Sources:
1. PRONI - VAL 1D/3/11
2. PRONI - OS 8/15/1/3
3. PRONI - VAL 2B/3/81H
4. Town Directories 1937-.
5. P.J. Rankin 'Historic buildings in the Mourne Area of South Down (Belfast 1975).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

This purpose built motor garage is smartly detailed in a formal Moderne style, has a corrugated frieze as the Vogue Cinema (HB16/03/020), and may be by the same local architect (Ben Cowser). It is of social interest as it illustrates the impact of the motor car on Ulster towns and its two flanking blocks are earlier buildings, which have naively remodelled their facades to mimic their new neighbour.