I read that the Rotterdam Bar had reopened as the American Bar but I photographed the America Bar at a slightly different location.
The Rotterdam Bar on Pilot Street which sits back-to-back with Pat's Bar was famous for alternative musical talent in Belfast and beyond. According to many accounts it was one of the oldest bars in the city having being established the 1800s. The bar closed down in the 2000s and my understanding is that there is a plan to demolish the buildings revamp the public space, Barrow Square, next to the bars. Barrow Square – an area of unused sunken ground would feature raised lawns and planters to soften its appearance and make it less forbidding according to a brochure by planning consultants O’Toole & Starkey.
The proposal is for a development of 195 apartments over 30 storeys – two storeys higher than the Obel, which is currently the tallest building in Ireland with 29 floors.
