Dublin Corporation acquired Wood Quay gradually from the 1950s, having voted on the plans for the new office development on 4-acres in front of Christchurch Cathedral in January 1956 finally.

Critical response to the designs was poor, and the fact that it appeared the Corporation themselves would choose the winner with no architectural input was met with shock and derision.

Desmond Leslie surmised that none of the designs made much effort to lessen their impact on Christchurch Cathedral or to consider it as part of the wider built environment.

This approval had 15 conditions, including "that all reasonable opportunities and facilities shall be afforded to the National Monuments Advisory Council to inspect, record and recover matter of archaeological interest" from the site.

They took place over an area of 4 acres, and uncovered 100 dwellings, thousands of objects, and a large amount of environmental evidence which covered 5 centuries of medieval occupation of the site.

Instead it was proposed that the four blocks be relocated on the site to allow for the unobstructed view of the Cathedral from the quays, the lack of which was highlighted as a concern in the cease order.

An Taisce states this was "worst possible solution" and that the modern office blocks "will never be a success and it is our opinion is that they will clash with Christchurch Cathedral in a very incongruous manner".

Ulick O'Connor commented that the clear rejection of the desires of the public both through protest and local elections to save the site was "the most terrifying event in this country over the past twenty years".

[12] The development went ahead, but the extra time spent over the protests and legal battles over the preservation of the site meant that the excavations were more extension than initially planned.

The large volume of objects excavated from the site is due to the fact the soil conditions were anaerobic, allowing for organic materials, predominately made of wood, to be very well preserved.

[16] The journalist Frank MacDonald cited Stephenson's admiration of the German architect Albert Speer as influential on the buildings' stark design.

[17] In a later excavation between 1990 and 1993 further along the quay at Lower Exchange Street, an archaeological dig team unearthed a roundtower-like ruin from the 13th century called Isolde's Tower.