LIMERICK Civic Trust has welcomed the decision by Limerick City and County Council to award them a long-term lease of Culture House, No. 2 Pery Square at a nominal rent of €1 a year.
Councillors approved the proposal for Limerick Civic Trust to transform the building into a visitor attraction at this month’s meeting of the Metropolitan District of the council.
Speaking on behalf of the board of Limerick Civic Trust, chief executive David O’Brien said they were confident that No. 2 Pery Square would become a top visitor destination on its own right while also becoming a window into the larger Midwest tourism experience.
The plan is to turn the building into a People’s Museum of Limerick.
“In preparing our proposal, we consulted with the Waterford Experiences and The Little Museum of Dublin on their offering, experience and operation,” Mr O’Brien explained.
“We also drew on the experience of our Collections Committee, which includes a former chief executive of Shannon Heritage. We believe that a Limerick visitor experience based on stories and items of local interest will be a great addition to the local tourism offering”.
While the core remit is to open No. 2 Pery Square as a museum, the building will also be used as a venue for permanent and regular exhibitions and one-off events.
Limerick Civic Trust is hoping the new People’s Museum will open in early summer of this year. However, they are waiting for a licence giving formal permission to access the building and gardens so they can carry out some essential maintenance works in advance of the opening.
In the meantime, the Trust is working on securing working capital, hiring staff and planning the museum’s offering, branding and marketing.
No. 2 Pery Square is one of a terrace of six Georgian Style houses built by the Pery Square Tontine Company in 1838 to the design of the famous Limerick based architect James Pain.
For buildings of similar size, this terrace is by far the best example of Georgian architecture in Limerick and possibly in Ireland.
