[4] [citation needed] The building was designed by the Scottish engineer John Rennie,[5] with his son of the same name working as his principal assistant.

George Newenham Wright, an Anglican clergyman, noted that: In addition to its use as a storehouse, because of the large interior space, the building has also been put to other uses.

For example, on 22 October 1856, the building was the chosen venue for a banquet, paid for by the citizens of Dublin, in honour of those Irish soldiers who had served in the British Army during the Crimean War.

[9] Irishman Neville Isdell, a former chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola, along with Mervyn Greene, purchased the building in late 2013 with the intention of further developing the structure.

[10][11][12] Today, the building contains a number of businesses, including the EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum and Dogpatch Labs.