The building that was to become Government Buildings was the last major public building constructed under British rule in what is now the Republic of Ireland. The foundation stone for the building was laid by King Edward VII in 1904. It was built on the site of a row of Georgian houses that were being controversially demolished one by one as the new building was erected. The building itself was designed by Sir Aston Webb, a British architect who was later to redesign the façade of Buckingham Palace. The final completed building was opened by King George V in 1911.