Lord Mayor visits Penrose House to mark its 200th anniversary

THE Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Kieran McCarthy, visited Penrose House on Cork’s historic quays to mark the 200th anniversary of its completion.

The Lord Mayor officially unveiled a plaque in the entrance hall of the fully restored building.

Penrose House was constructed on Penrose Quay along a bustling riverfront in 1824. Originally the location of the maritime transportation company, St George Steam Packet Company, it has served a number of functions and played an important role in the history of the city over two centuries.

The company’s most famous ship, the Sirius, departed from Penrose Quay on April 4, 1838, for the very first transatlantic crossing by a steam-powered vessel. The Sirius arrived in New York on April 22 after a voyage of 18 days, four hours and 22 minutes.

Before the development of Penrose’s Quay, it had been an uninhabited marshy area until the land was reclaimed in the early decades of the 1800s.

The historic Penrose House forms an integral part of the new Penrose Dock Development. The two-office block development was designed by Wilson Architecture and has won numerous design awards, most notably the International Architecture Award in 2022.

The restored Penrose House is 100% occupied with the most recent tenants including aNuMe and Savills, who relocated their office from the South Mall. The building has become a showcase for carefully restoring historic buildings while at the same time bringing them up to current day BER A3 energy rating. As part of the restoration, specialists were brought in to restore the statue of St George atop the building and replace the statue’s spear as it slays a dragon.

Lord Mayor Cllr Kieran McCarthy said; “I would like to congratulate JCD Group for making such a significant investment in the historic Penrose House, a key part of their modern development. It is an example of how the old and the new can be merged to bring an interesting and unique element into the core of the new Cork Docklands. It will keep Penrose House at the heart of the City’s ongoing evolution.”

John Cleary, CEO of JCD Group said; “We are delighted to welcome the Lord Mayor to mark the 200th anniversary of Penrose House’s completion. It forms an important part of the Penrose Dock scheme where almost 2,000 people are now employed.”