The World’s 1st building to house 2 parliamentary chambers

This building was originally designed as Ireland’s Parliament Building. Some of the greatest architects of the time including Edward Pearce, James Gandon, and Francis Johnston were involved in its design and many of its features were incorporated into such buildings as The British Museum and Capitol Hill. After the 1801 Act of Union power shifted back to London and many of the rich elite moved back too. In the following century, Dublin went into a slow decline and many of its glorious Georgian streets were split into tenements. It was sold to the Bank of Ireland in 1803 for £40,000 under the condition that it should not be used for political assemblies. The reason why there are no windows in this building is believed to be due to the window tax that was enforced throughout Britain and Ireland in the 1700s. It is now considered to be a Palladian masterpiece.