Plans to redevelop the site on Seán McDermott Street have been lodged to Dublin City Council which will see the Victorian-era building become a national memorial and research centre.
The wider site, which backs on to Railway Street, will also have additional space allocated to social housing.
The site, established in the 19th century as a refuge for women, became a Magdalene Laundry in 1887, run by the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity until it closed in 1996.
Over 11,000 women were confined to the 10 Magdalene laundries run by religious orders.
These laundries were places of forced labour, where women, often victims of sexual abuse or social stigma, were incarcerated to atone for perceived “moral failings”.
In 2013, the government issued a formal apology and set up a redress scheme for the victims.
The Sean McDermott Street laundry was the last one in the country to close on September 25, 1996.
The Government has engaged with stakeholders, including survivors, former residents and their families, on transforming the building into the National Centre for Research and Remembrance (NCRR).
A report published from the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth said that the strongest message from the stakeholders was around “decision-making”.They want to be “fully involved” at every stage of the centre’s development and beyond.
Previous proposals for the site, including plans for a hotel and student accommodation, were rejected in favour of the current redevelopment plan, which Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said requires a “sensitive approach”.The Office of Public Works (OPW) has taken on the redevelopment project following the transfer of ownership of the property from Dublin City Council in 2022.
The plans have evolved after a public consultation in 2023, which generated over 200 submissions.
The masterplan will refurbish the existing convent buildings and chapel to hold the main museum and archives.
A new multi-storey building will be added, which will have additional archive space, conservation labs, and reading rooms.
Educational facilities will also be brought into the design, with a three-to-five-storey building planned to house classrooms and study areas, supporting further education.
Community and family services will also be included in the development, utilising the adjacent Scots Church. Only the facade of the church will be retained.
The outdoor space will feature a Garden of Reflection, described as a site of “protection and quiet in the heart of the city”.
A six-storey block of social housing for older adults, offering 18 two-bedroom apartments, will be built nearby.
The OPW has described the redevelopment of the NCRR campus as a flagship project.
By encompassing social housing and educational facilities, the project will make a “significant contribution” to the long-term social and economic regeneration of the area, “one that respects the existing community while remembering the past”.
Subject to approval, construction is expected to begin by the end of 2025.