Built in 1814 to the design of Francis Johnston, the GPO has a special place in Irish and Dublin history being the focal point of the Easter Rising of 1916. Patriot leaders Padraig Pearse and James Connolly, leaders of the Easter Rising read the Proclamation of Independence from the steps of the GPO. Volunteers sheltered in and fought from the building under heavy fire from the English. A fire broke out which destroyed most of the interior and the GPO remained closed until 1929, when renovation work was completed. The event is commemorated in a statue, The Death of Cuchulainn, which stands just inside one of the front windows and a memorial to those who died in 1916 is inscribed with the Proclamation of the Irish Republic.