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North side of the house (facing Lower Merrion St., away from Merrian Square); Oscar Wilde's childhood home; his actual birthplace (born October 16th 1854) is located at 21 Westland Row, and owned by Trinity College, Dublin. Both houses are home to graduate programs in creative writing, this one run by American College, Dublin. American College acquired the house in 1994 and restored it in 1998. The building overlooks Merrion Square, (from the north side) considered one of the city's finest surviving Georgian squares. The Wilde family lived here from 1855 to 1878 (Oscar Wilde left in 1876). It is a large four-storey-over-basement house. The house is an excellent example of Georgian architecture as its many remarkable cornices, architraves and decorative centrepieces demonstrate throughout the house. The ground and first floors of the house are now open for guided tours. Source: Oscar Wilde House (American College) [web site]; http://www.amcd.ie/about-us/history/oscar-wilde-house (accessed 6/6/2012)