The Exo Building

Map of Dublin showing the site facing on the sea and river in 1797

Insurance Plan of the area c.1890

The site was part of Dublin Bay and included a series of islands at low tide up until the reclamation of the land following the construction of the North Wall in 1717. The exact location sat at the corner of the reclaimed land facing open sea on one side and the mouth of the river Liffey on another prior to the construction of the modern Dublin Port.[6]

The site was later used as a railway and support yard by the Great Southern and Western Railway Company as part of the overall Point Depot facility. Later in the 20th century as the site ceased being used as a railway and goods depot, the main warehouse changed use to a music and concert venue while the adjacent yard ceased being used to transport trains and good carts to the port and largely lay empty as a supporting space.

The building was constructed on a site which was previously earmarked for a Harry Crosbie Celtic Tiger era 40-storey residential skyscraper named The Watchtower. The building was later revised down to 32 stories before planning was granted by the Dublin Docklands Development Authority in 2006.[7][8] While construction began on the building soon after with excavations being completed in full and foundations and a 3-storey underground basement nearing completion, following the collapse of the Irish property market, the scheme was ultimately mothballed.

A succession of one off amusements and instalments including the underground Harry's bar and the Wheel of Dublin operated in and over the filled-in space for a period owing to its location adjacent to the 3 Arena. Crosbie's loans ultimately transferred to NAMA in 2013 and soon after Grant Thornton were appointed receivers.[9]