Dublin City Council has issued an open call for proposals and ideas for the future use of the former DIT School of Music building in Dublin city centre.

The building, located on Chatham Row, was initially constructed as a fire station in 1890, and was subsequently used as a printing school, music school and laboratory from 1907.

The Dublin Institute of Technology School of Music occupied all of the building in later years, until the school relocated to DIT Grangegorman in 2020 following citywide renovations for the college, now TUD. Currently, the building is occupied by the Dean Art Studios, who have offered workspaces to 20 multidisciplinary artists.

The original building has three storeys with a U-shaped plan and a flat-roofed extension to the front added in the mid-sixties. There is also an access bridge connected to a rear building. The building contains multiple rooms used as music rehearsal and teaching studios and a small performance/gallery space.

Interior and exterior of the building on Chatham Row, Dublin

Artists, groups, collectives and organisations who are interested in submitting a proposal for its future use can attend an information session online tomorrow (Wednesday 14 June) at 11am. It will consist of a Zoom presentation and Q&A session organised by the Dublin City Council Arts Office. To register for the session, see here.

There is also an opportunity to visit the premises this week, on Thursday, Friday or Saturday, but those interested must register in advance here.

Applications can come from individual artists, groups working together or cultural organisations. The Arts Office is also interested in hearing the suggestions of artists on how the workspaces can be best utilised. Proposals of 750 words should be submitted by 12 noon on Friday 30 June.

Following the submissions, shortlisted groups will be invited to participate in a Round 2, which will include a more detailed process. The link to submit a proposal is here.

Any artist or creative with proposals can apply here.

Drawings of the building can be viewed here.

For further information, visit www.dublincityartsoffice.ie.