Wellington Quay was laid out by the
Wide Street Commissioners in 1815 and, following completion of the quay, it offered a site to the Merchant's guild for the construction of a new dedicated hall. Previously, buildings in the area had backed directly on to the
Liffey. The
Merchants' Guild operated from the premises for a period of roughly 20 years from the construction of the building in 1821 until 1841, when the Municipal Reform Act saw the dissolution of the city guilds. This dissolution followed a move to directly elected Dublin Corporation members. Prior to 1821, the Merchant's Guild had operated from the
Tholsel and
City Assembly House on
South William Street along with several other of the city guilds. The commissioners imposed a covenant which forced the construction of the vaulted archway synonymous with the building and provided for a public right of way through the site under the arch as a means of enabling public access from the quays and Ha'penny Bridge through to Crown Alley and Temple Bar. This laneway is today also named "Merchants' Arch" and forms the main entrance to the Temple Bar area for members of the public crossing over from the
Northside of the Liffey. From 1873, the hall became the Merchant Tailors' Endowed School after it moved from Tailors' Hall until the school finally closed in 1910. Later the building housed PA Noonan & Co Ltd (a shirt manufacturer) and R Atkinson & Company (poplin manufacturers). == Building ==