A DESIGN team has been appointed for the €6.5m revival of the historic Nicholas Street fireplace site, with a multidisciplinary design team officially on hand.
Limerick Council announced Waterford-based dhb Architects for the commencement of the major project aimed at reducing vacancy and generating footfall along Nicholas Street and the wider King’s Island area.
Mayor John Moran signed THRIVE (Town Centre First Heritage Revival Scheme) grant documents just before Christmas, after councillors from the Metropolitan District had approved Part 8 planning last March. The scheme allocated more than €6.5million in funding in September 2025 to transform this historic site on Nicholas Street.
Construction on the project is set to begin in late 2026.
It will see the regeneration of 35–39 Nicholas Street, incorporating the surviving medieval fireplace and neighbouring buildings into an educational and innovative design hub, named The Forge Design Factory, which will provide space for artists, makers, entrepreneurs, and visitors, including studios, exhibition and retail areas, and a café/restaurant.
The Council said “the transformation of the fireplace site and neighbouring structures will deliver immediate and lasting benefits for the local community by breathing new life into one of Limerick’s most historic streets”.
Mayor John Moran expressed his enthusiasm, stating: “We promised to make 2026 a year of momentum delivered on the foundations laid in 2025. This transformative project will act as a catalyst for the wider regeneration of King’s Island and Nicholas Street, helped by the new public realm proposals we have been pursuing in parallel for the street.”