Published Thursday June 3rd,  2010 

I had intended to write on the Heritage Buildings in our capital for some time, but the UDeCOTT scandal and other public concerns kept me occupied.  The recent shocking collapse of a major part of President's House eventually acted as a trigger for this article.  As I said at the time, that was a shame and a natural result of seriously misplaced priorities.

The present position of the Heritage Buildings is one we can only make sense of by adding some context.  In my view, the background to the present situation is -

·         Economic Boom – We are at the tail-end of a 15-year-long and unprecedented boom in our national revenues.  No one could have predicted the huge growth in national fortunes.

·         Construction Boom – There has also been a corresponding boom in construction activity in our country with a large number of new buildings erected in that period.

·         'Monumental Architecture' – Within that building boom, there has been a series of new buildings which could be classed as a modern thrust toward monumental architecture.  That phrase is used here to describe buildings which are long-lasting landmarks of a civilisation, by virtue of their location, size and use.  The recent examples of this Monumental Architecture are Piarco Airport Terminal, NALIS (National Library in POS), Prime Minister's Residence and Diplomatic Centre, National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA, North), International Waterfront Centre.

Some of the Heritage Buildings in our capital have benefited from repair and renovation and those would include -

·         QRC restoration – The main eastern building has now been refurbished at a reported cost in the region of $44M.  I have no information as to whether that was within the budget or took too long, but it is a welcome sight, especially when floodlit at night.

·         Knowsley restoration – This was done recently and the program of works included the addition of a new block in the south-eastern corner of the site.  This building was formerly the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but they have recently moved to the International Waterfront Centre.  The expanded and renovated Knowlsey is to become the new home of the National Museum, which is still at its original location, the Royal Victoria  Institute on the corner of Keate and Frederick Streets – see link.

·         Former Shell Sports Club – This is at the corner of Queen's Park West and Cipriani Boulevard and is now under Petrotrin.  The building was restored over a long period at what must have been great expense and now that it has been completed about a year or so ago, it appears to be unoccupied.

·         Police Headquarters – This is at the corner of St. Vincent and Sackville Streets and was badly damaged during the 1990 coup attempt.  The building was repaired and renovated at great expense, but is now showing signs of poor maintenance.

There have also been these significant failures -

·         Mille Fleur – This is one of the 'Magnificent Seven' along Maraval Road. It was leased to the Law Association, which was revoked in 2004 by the State when they did not carry out the required repairs.  The building was then placed under the control of UDeCOTT for repairs and refurbishment, but there has been serious deterioration in its condition and no sign of the necessary work 

·         Stollmeyer’s Castle – This is the northernmost of the 'Magnificent Seven' and is also in poor repair; it is also said to be under the control of UDeCOTT for repair and refurbishment.  According to UDeCOTT's website, both these projects were to have been completed in 'late 2008' - see link.

·         Boissiere House – This is on Queen's Park West, about midway between All Saints' Church and Cipriani Boulevard.  It is in poor condition and was the subject of the “Save the Boissiere House' campaign, which drew the State into negotiations with the property owners.  Those negotiations appear to have failed in terms of agreeing a price and the building continues to deteriorate.

·         National Museum Building – The original Royal Victoria Institute building is still in use and one hopes that it will not be allowed to fall into disrepair.

The failure to repair or maintain so many essential buildings is a tragic symbol of our disdain for history and the simple sense of proper maintenance.

These are the Heritage Buildings which really need urgent and high-quality attention -

·         Red House – This is the seat of our Parliament and it is a true failure of repairs and maintenance.  There has been an ongoing repair/replacement of the Red House roof for at least 10 years. There is an immense scaffold which is occasionally relocated and the project literally seems to have no end.  In addition to the roof repairs, which were originally being undertaken by NIPDEC, there is an ambitious program of Red House works set out on UDeCOTT's website at this link.  Our Parliament deserves a no less than a solid restoration job and a proper maintenance program.

·         Trinidad Public Library – This historic building, at the corner of Knox and Pembroke Streets, is in a sad state of disrepair.  It is in need of a serious program of repairs and renovation.

·         President’s House – The western wing of the official residence of the Head of State of our Republic collapsed through lack of maintenance. President's House is alongside the spanking-new, elaborate Prime Minister's Residence and Diplomatic Centre, recently opened at a cost in the region of $200M.  This building has not been properly maintained for a long time and it was shocking to hear Colm Imbert stating to the media that it had been declared unsafe about 10 years ago.  Even the parts of the building which are still standing are now also condemned.  There had actually been official functions taking place there up to the day before the collapse.

     President's House has to be a priority project for high-quality repair and renovation.

Afra Raymond is Managing Director of Raymond & Pierre Limited and President of the Institute of Surveyors of Trinidad & Tobago.  Comments can be sent to afra@raymondandpierre.com.