Dictionary of Irish Architects 1720 - 1940

Dublin City Engineer, 1887-1910. According to the census of 1911, Spencer Harty whose first name was seldom used) was born in Tralee, Co. Kerry in 1838 or 1839.   He served a three-year pupilage to the land surveyor JOSEPH JAMES BYRNE  JOSEPH JAMES BYRNE after which he spent a further two years as Byrne's assistant. In 1860 he was given a temporary appointment in the service of Dublin Corporation and in 1862 joined the permanent staff under PARKE NEVILLE PARKE NEVILLE . He was largely responsible for the design and execution of the Vartry water supply in Dublin, for which he acted as resident engineer.(1) He succeeded Parke Neville in 1887.(2) Soon afterwards he was involved in the initiation and drafting of the Dublin Corporation Act, and later, with GEORGE CHATTERTON  GEORGE CHATTERTON as consulting engineer, he became responsible for the new system of main drainage for the city.(3) In 1907 his salary was increased by £500 per annum(4) and in the same year he was presented with the freedom of the City.(5) He retired early in 1910, mainly on account of failing eyesight,(6) and at about the same time suffered from a 'very severe and prolonged illness'.(7) He was granted a pension of £1,000 per annum(8) and was also presented by the Corporation with a 'striking life size likeness' of himself in oils by Dermod O'Brien, president of the RHA.(9) He died, a widower, in August 1922 at his house in Merrion Road, Dublin. He had been married to Fanny née Sumption, who gave birth to thirteen children.  His son George Spencer Harty, who was born on 5 March 1873(10) and studied engineering at Trinity College,(11) was appointed engineer to the cleansing department of Dublin Corporation in 1905.(12)  His pupils and assistants included MICHAEL J. BUCKLEY MICHAEL J. BUCKLEY , GEORGE TIGHE MOORE GEORGE TIGHE MOORE , MICHAEL A. MOYNIHAN MICHAEL A. MOYNIHAN , JOHN GABRIEL O'SULLIVAN  JOHN GABRIEL O'SULLIVAN and JOHN PERCY WAKEFORD. JOHN PERCY WAKEFORD.

ICEI: elected member, 1 Dec 1875;(13) council member, 1885-1889,1891-1922; president, 1890.
GLFI: member of Lodge 75 (Dublin) in 1870; secretary, 1872; by 1875 he was a Past Master.(14)

Addresses:(15) 25 Mount Pleasant Square, 1870;(16) 44 Cullenswood Ave, Ranelagh, Dublin, 1874-75; Melrose, Ranelagh Road, Dublin, <=1887->=1891; 5 Trevelyan Terrace, Rathgar, 1896-1903; Ranelagh, 76 Merrion Road, Dublin, <=1906 until death.



References

All information in this entry not otherwise accounted for is from the obituaries of Harty in IB 64, 26 Aug 1922, 577, and TICEI 50 (1923-24), 233-234. For an account of some of the works being carried out by the Corporation in Neville and Harty's day, see IB 85, 18 Dec 1943, 488-9. A photograph of Harty is in IB 52, 30 Apr 1910, 289.

(1) IB, 2 Apr 1910, 218.
(2) B 52, 19 Mar 1887, 454.
(3) See note 1, above.
(4) IB 49, 18 May 1907, 345.
(5) IB 49, 7 Sep 1907, 614; Irish Times, 24 Dec 1907.
(6) See note 1, above.
(7) BuildingF News 100, 17 Feb 1911, 240.
(8) Building News 98, 6 May 1910, .
(9) See note 7, above; see also Freeman's Journal, 6 Feb 1911.  IB 18 Feb 1911, 105; IA & BN 1, 11 Feb 1911, 39.
(10) www.familysearch.org.  George Spencer Harty married Laurina the eldest daughter of Laurence Mcoboy Fitzgerald (q.v.) in 1906 (Irish Times, 22 Sep 1906)..
(11) R.C. Cox, compiler, Trinity College School of Engineering: 'Graduates' in Engineering 1843-1992 (1993), unpaginated.
(12) Building News 89, 17 Nov 1905, 707.
(13) TICEI 11 (1874-76), 55.
(14) GLFI archives.
(15) From Post Office Directories and TICEI lists of members unless otherwise stated.
(16) See note 13, above.


13 work entries listed in chronological order for HARTY, EMANUEL SPENCER


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Building: CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, FORBES STREET, PUMPING STATION
Date: 1890
Nature: Contractors: H. & J. Martin, Ltd (buildings, £1,572.12s.3d) and William Spence (Boilers, pumps &c, £2,048.10s.).
Refs: IB 32, 15 Dec 1890, 295

Building: CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, ARRAN STREET EAST (& MARY'S LANE), FISH & VEGETABLE MARKET
Date: 1890-92
Nature: New. With Wm. Cranwill Wilson. Opened 6 Dec 1892. Contractors: W. Connolly & Sons, Dublin (building, £14,700) and J. Lysaght, Bristol (iron roof, £4,359). Clerk of Works: Charles O'Toole. Figures of Justice and Trade over Mary's Lane entrance by C.W. Harrison & Co. Ornamental iron tympana by McGloughlin & Son.
Refs: IB 32, 1 Nov,15 Dec 1890, 261,295; 34, 15 Mar,15 Dec 1892, 72,262; B 60, 28 Mar 1891, 255;  Christine Casey, The Buildings of Ireland: Dublin (2005), 100-101.

Building: CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, TARA STREET, PUBLIC LIGHTING & GAS METER TESTING STATION
Date: 1891
Nature: About to be erected under the Gas Committee of the Dublin Corporation.
Refs: IB 34, 1 Apr 1892, 86

Building: CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, BLESSINGTON STREET, CITY BASIN
Date: 1891
Nature: New walled park of about three acres laid surrounding City Basin (1808). Laid out by ESH for Waterworks Committee at cost of about £600. Opened by Lord Mayor, 18 Jun 1891.
Refs: Irish Times, 19 Jun 1891.

Building: CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, KING STREET NORTH (& BLACKHALL PLACE), HOUSING (DUBLIN ARTISANS' DWELLINGS CO.)
Date: 1894
Nature: Tenders invited for erecting same, Feb 1894.
Refs: Irish Times, 13,19 Feb 1894; IB 36, 15 Feb 1894, 47

Building: CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, WHITE'S LANE (& ECCLES STREET), HOUSING
Date: 1894
Nature: Artisans' dwellings, for Dublin Corporation. Tenders invited Jun-Jul 1894.
Refs: Irish Times, 26,27 Jun 1894, 15 Oct 1895; IB 36, 11Jul 1894, 157.

Building: CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, BLACKHALL STREET, NO. 006-012
Date: 1894
Nature: Tenders invited for adaptation of same into artisans' dwellings, Feb and Jun 1894
Refs: Irish Builder, 13,19 Feb,26 Jun 1894.

Building: CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, PIGEON HOUSE MAIN DRAINAGE SCHEME
Date: 1895-1906
Nature: Supervised by SH and George Chatterton. Resident engineer: H.H. Hellins. Contractors: H. & J. Martin; Pearsons, London.
Refs: IB 45, 4 Jun 1903, 1810; 85, 18 Dec 1943, 488-9

Building: CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, BERKELEY ROAD, PUBLIC LAVATORY
Date: 1898
Nature: Underground convenience. £683.
Refs: IAA, PKS 0781 and A08 (Jul 1898)

Building: CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, ELECTRICITY SUPPLY
Date: 1898-1901
Nature: Supply mains; transformer sub-station buildings.
Refs: Unpriced bill of quantities for transformer sub-station, 2 Dec 1898, in IAA, PKS 0790; IB 42, 1 Oct 1900, 504; 43, 6 Jun 1901, 755

Building: CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, GRAND CANAL DOCK, SUBWAY
Date: 1902
Nature: Cast-iron subway near Victoria Bridge, in association with Robert Hammond.
Refs: IB 44, 8 May,17 Jul,23 Oct 1902, 1244,1328,1454

Building: CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, PIGEON HOUSE ROAD (WEST END), PUMPING STATION, HOUSE & AUXILIARY WORKS
Date: 1903
Nature: Tenders.
Refs: IB 45, 24 Sep 1903, 2002

Building: CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, REFUSE INCINERATORS
Date: 1904
Nature: Completed.
Refs: IB 46, 17 Dec 1904, 870

Author Title Date Details
Harty, Spencer Presidential address to ICEI 1891 TICEI 21 (1890-91), 1-53. (Paper read 3 Dec 1890.)