ABSTRACT
By the 1970s, however, the area and its buildings had fallen into disrepair, were partially abandoned and were set for a comprehensive urban deletion. Fortunately, the area managed to survive due in part to a planned, yet delayed, bus terminal in the 1980s. The former state transportation company, Coras Iompair Eireann (CIE), purchased most of the land in Temple Bar in the hope of developing extensive transportation hubs in central Dublin. While the CIE planned the terminal and worked toward its implementation, it rented the dilapidated buildings at substantially discounted rates to artists, craftsmen and other bohemian and fringe groups. Locally owned pubs and restaurants quickly followed, which increased interest among architects and preservationists who sought to delay or derail CIE’s terminal plans. Between the delay, economic difficulties and new street life, the area was quickly rejuvenated within a few years (Pearson 2000: 35-39).
