Ellis Court was originally constructed as part of a wider social housing development by Dublin Corporation in 1887 and designed by the then city architect, Daniel J. Freeman. It was the city corporations first foray into public housing. It continued to serve as social housing until the buildings were vacated in 2005, due to fire damage, severe deterioration of the building fabric and the inadequacy of the units to serve as dwellings to an acceptable modern standard. 

The project included the refurbishment and deep retrofit of the existing structures, a 4 storey apartment building, Block A and a two storey terrace of houses, Block B. On completion, the regeneration has provided a total of 22no. units, nineteen 1 and 2 bedroom apartments in Block A and three 2 and 3 bedroom townhouses in Block B, all with private gardens or balconies. 

While the buildings are not registered as protected structures, they are rated by the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH) using the current criteria, as being of ‘Regional’ importance by virtue the buildings being representative of late nineteenth century public housing, and so retain social significance due to its architectural, historic and social values.