Crawford Gallery revamp expected to cost over €93m

Cork’s Crawford Art Gallery will be redeveloped at an estimated cost of more than €93 million, according to Arts minister, Patrick O’Donovan.

At a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Mr O’Donovan said that the full capital cost of the Crawford Art Gallery redevelopment project, which has already seen a spend of €6.5 million, is now estimated at €93.1 million, which includes VAT and a provision for contingency.

Mr O’Donovan told ministers that this is a “once in a multi-generation" investment, which will see the redevelopment and revitalisation of the city centre's historic gallery building.

Designed by Grafton Architects and set to be delivered by the Office of Public Works (OPW) and Crawford Art Gallery, the overhaul will add 50% more space for storage and exhibitions.

Plans for the redevelopment include the construction of a five-storey extension, which will be added to the existing building, to facilitate these additional storage and exhibition spaces, with provisions for a new restaurant also included.

The gallery closed to the public in September of 2024, with most of its 3,500 artworks moved to storage.

While a number of the gallery's iconic pieces are stored away, some of the venue’s artworks have found temporary homes at the Cork Public Museum, the Hugh Lane Gallery in Dublin, and Hillsborough Castle in Co Down.

Speaking to The Echo earlier this year, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said this project is a “major redevelopment” for the Crawford Art Gallery, which will help to “deliver a civic plaza and a cultural quarter in Cork”.

Mr Martin said: “It will dramatically alter the Crawford Gallery itself, so it’s a very big project."

This new estimated cost exceeds the original estimate for the project by more than €65 million, as the initial agreed estimation, which was reached prior to the planning and design phase in 2020, stood at €28.86 million.

Mr O'Donovan noted at the meeting that there has been considerable construction inflation since the Preliminary Business Case was completed, leading to this increased estimation.

Since the project went out to tender to the market, Mr O’Donovan said that the Final Business Case has been completed, and this estimation best reflects the pricing tendered by the market for the development of the new gallery.

Further, it is anticipated that contracts for the redevelopment project will be signed in mid-December, with the main contractor starting on site in February, 2026.

Based on the current build programme, the estimated completion date for the new gallery is set for Q2 of 2028.