Originally a 11-hectares derelict site and owned by the Port Authority. This area was one of the largest blocks of prime urban land in the city to be designated for redevelopment. The Customs House Docks Development Authority (CHDDA) was established to redevelop the area.
The IFSC was constructed over several phases.
- Phase one began in 1988 and started with the construction of The International Centre, IFSC House and La Touche House – three statement buildings which announced the arrival of Dublin as an international financial services hub. In total, 1.3 million square feet of office space was constructed during phase one which extended as far as Common Street when completed.
- Phase two increased the office footprint by a further 2 million sq ft and was concluded with the opening of Guild House in 2000, by which time the IFSC was home to 14,000 workers.
The original IFSC 1 comprised of the area between Memorial Road, Amiens Street, Lower Sheriff Street, Guild Street, and the River Liffey along North Wall Quay and Custom House Quay. Adjacent districts include East Wall to the north and Spencer Dock to the east; the Custom House, Busáras and the city centre lie to the west along Store Street and Abbey Street. Within the IFSC, the original development area lies west of Commons Street.
In May 1997, the Custom House Docks Development Authority (CHDDA) was dissolved. At this stage, the IFSC had 114,000 sq m of office accommodation, as well as over 300 apartments, a hotel, multi-storey car park and retail space, including a pub, restaurants