The Elysian, High-rise building in Cork, Ireland
The Elysian is a high-rise building in Cork city center with a glass facade that reaches 68 meters high. The complex holds more than 200 residential units ranging from small apartments to large penthouses, plus a two-level underground parking garage with around 550 spaces.
The building was completed in 2008 during Ireland's economic boom and was the tallest structure in the Republic at that time. Another tower surpassed it in 2018 in this ranking.
The complex takes its name from Greek mythology, where the Elysian Fields were the resting place of the blessed dead. Its enclosed Japanese garden is private, reserved for residents, so passers-by see only the buildings from Eglinton Street. Locals instead gave the tower the nickname "The Idle Tower", a pun on The Idle Hour, a nearby pub.
The Elysian stands on Eglinton Street, a short walk from Cork's central streets and the bus corridors along the quays. A two-level basement garage serves the complex, and an Aldi supermarket opened on the ground floor in December 2014. The enclosed Japanese garden is within the grounds rather than a public park.
After 2008 the building sat mostly vacant and locals gave it a joking nickname based on its empty state. However, within a few years all the apartments filled up completely.
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