Making a Museum: The Models

“One of the great joys of being here in the museum is meeting people like Ronan and his father, and people who have these passions and these skills… it's phenomenal… to make something as accurate as this and as historically important as this.” - Iseult Dunne, CEO, Dublin City Council Culture Company

Our museum collection features a specially commissioned large-scale model of the 14 Henrietta Street townhouse, alongside models of two other historic housing types that many former residents would have moved into.

Expertly crafted by architect and model maker Ronan Costelloe, these large scale reconstructions reveal how the buildings functioned, illustrating room layouts, shared living conditions, and the structural complexity of housing multiple families under one roof. This detailed representation allows visitors to visualise the realities of tenement life in a physical and engaging way.

Our collection also includes models of Type E and Type D housing, as seen in the Manor Place scheme in Stoneybatter, Dublin. These homes were originally designed by architect Charles Henry Ashworth of The Dublin Artisan’s Dwelling Company. We also highlight the work of Herbert George Sims, whose distinctive inner-city flat complexes played a significant role in shaping modern Dublin. British-born, Sims became the first Housing Architect to Dublin Corporation. Between 1932 and 1948, he led the design and construction of approximately 17,000 social housing units, transforming living conditions for thousands of Dublin families.

“To see a model of Henrietta house in this space. To see it as a museum artefact - I think that says so much about the importance of Sims. It's nice to see him and his work commemorated in that way.”- Donal Fallon, Social Historian, Dublin City Council Culture Company

Today, Henrietta House stands as part of this broader architectural and social legacy, demonstrating how thoughtful public housing design influenced generations of urban living. Drawing on historic survey drawings and newly developed technical skills, Ronan Costelloe created a model that reflects his artisan trade skills.

Our Making a Museum series, which shows the creation of one of the models on display in our Museum. In this video we catch a glimpse at the process that architect Ronan Costelloe follows in creating the Henrietta House Model from studying Herbert Simms original survey drawings from 100 years ago. Watch the video below..