Horace Tennyson O'Rourke facts for kids

Horace Tennyson O'Rourke (born March 21, 1880 – died December 30, 1963) was an important architect in Dublin, Ireland. He served as the city architect for Dublin Corporation (which is now called Dublin City Council) from 1922 to 1945. He played a big part in rebuilding Dublin after major events.

Early Life and Education

Horace O'Rourke was born in Dublin. His parents were Francis P. O'Rourke and Martha Rafferty. He went to school at the O'Brien Institute in Dublin, which was run by the Congregation of Christian Brothers.

After that, he studied at the Dublin Municipal School of Art. This is where he learned about architecture and design.

Becoming a City Architect

From 1905 to 1916, Horace O'Rourke worked for different private architecture firms. These firms were in Limerick and Dublin. During this time, he designed many buildings for both public and private clients.

In 1916, O'Rourke joined the staff of the Dublin Corporation. He worked as an assistant city architect from 1918 to 1922. His boss was Charles J. McCarthy.

Leading Dublin's Rebuilding

In 1922, Horace O'Rourke became the main Dublin city architect. This was a very important job. He was in charge of redesigning and rebuilding O'Connell Street and the areas around it. These areas had been damaged during the Easter Rising and the Irish Civil War.

One of his big projects was rebuilding Charlemont House. He turned it into an art gallery and a city museum. In 1924, he became a fellow of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland. This showed he was a respected architect.

Planning for Dublin's Future

Even though Horace O'Rourke liked traditional building styles, he was very interested in town planning. Town planning is about how cities are designed and organized. People said he was the main person behind the Dublin Civic Survey of 1925. This survey looked at how Dublin was built and how it could be improved.

He was also active in the Dublin Civic Week committees in 1927 and 1929. These events helped people learn about and appreciate their city. In the 1930s, he often spoke more about town planning than about architecture.

He became a member of the Royal Town Planning Institute. This group gave him an award for his work in town planning in 1942.

Key Building Projects

One of O'Rourke's notable projects was building 298 rental houses in Cabra. He designed these homes for Dublin Corporation in 1930. These houses provided homes for many families in the city.