Sir, – In relation to Frank McDonald’s article “Casino at Marino revamp is a gamble not everyone thinks has paid off”, August 13th) I have visited the Casino many times over the last 25 years. It is a real gem of a building with some delightful architectural quirks. I loved the 1980s renovation as it felt true to the essence of the building. The current redecoration feels like it has been done by an interior designer wishing to put a modern stamp on the building rather than preserve its period beauty. For example, I remember when I was first shown around the Casino, the blue of the dome was pointed out as representing the sky and, as with the sky, you could not pick out its highest point. It is incredible that this “sky” has now been painted white! As for the plastic covering on the beautiful floors, it is another horror.
Surely the purpose of preserving beautiful buildings is to do just that, to preserve them as showpieces of past architecture and decor, not as old buildings dressed up in modern attire. – Yours, etc,
VANESSA DELANEY,
St Lawrence Road,
Clontarf,
Dublin 3