|
Trinidad and Tobago's Architectural Heritage
Trinidad Guardian Construction Supplement 24 May 2011
Trinidad and Tobago is one of the most multi-cultural societies in the world and historically there is a large mix of influences in its architectural heritage. We can see styles that reflect English Colonial, neo-Classical, African, Indian, Moorish, Irish, Spanish, French, German and different mixes.
It is interesting to note that with the arrival of cruise ships in Port of Spain, the common route of taxi drivers, when introducing Port of Spain to the visitors, is to drive them around the Queens Park Savannah to show them the more obvious manifestations of our architectural heritage, the Magnificent Seven, the Botanic Gardens, The President's House, the National Museum and Art Gallery, Boissiere House, etc. Yet these tourists cannot visit these buildings as none are used as living museums and do not generate a revenue, other than to the taxi-drivers, to contribute to their upkeep.
There is no formal approach to an appreciation of our heritage by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. Neither does there appear to be a serious attempt by the Government and by extension the National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago to preserve our built heritage. No buildings are formally listed for protection under the National Trust Act enacted in 1999. The deterioration of Mille Fleurs and The President's House are typical examples of this lack of interest and blatant neglect. The lack of listing affects assistance for preservation from international agencies as this is generally one of the requirements for funding.
 
Mille Fleurs 1995 Mille Fleurs today
Preserving our built heritage also allows Trinidad and Tobagonians to understand their past. One excellent example is Nelson Island which was initially used as a quarantine station and later a processing station for East Indian immigrants, first brought to Trinidad in 1845 as indentured labour after Emancipation. Later, Nelson Island was used to incarcerate Uriah Butler during the labour disturbances of the late 1930's, the Austrian and German residents of Trinidad in the early 1940's, and the "Black Power Boys" in 1970. During World War II it was used by the Americans as a defense installation. Recently, the National Trust began restoration work. The idea was to create the equivalent of America's Ellis Island for those interested in tracing their heritage. Unfortunately all phases of work were not completed, no security was placed to protect finished work, and much of it is now vandalized.
There are popular misconceptions about what is important in our built heritage, symbols of colonial rule most often identified, typically the great houses of the Savannah, estate houses and churches. But there are so many other aspects that are as important: the barrack houses of the slaves; the urban chattel houses; the karat roofed leepay houses of the indentured Indians; the sugar factories; cocoa sheds, etc. The early twentieth century houses of Laventille, Belmont and Gonzales are important examples of Port of Spain's suburban development.
Opening areas of built heritage to tourists also provides us with a source of income. Recently, the Mayor of Port of Spain, Mr. Louis Lee Sing, spoke of the need to rehabilitate Laventille. There are many examples, particularly in Latin America of the rehabilitation of depressed areas of cities by opening them up to tourism. Laventille is an excellent and important example of Trinidad's development history. Few people are aware that Observatory Street was named after Churruca's Observatory at the top of Laventille Hill. In 1793, Don Cosmo Damien Churruca made geographical and astronomical history from his observations when he fixed, for the first time, an accurate meridian for the new world relative to the old world.
Laventille is also the site of one of Trinidad's early forts, Fort Picton, built by the British and completed in 1798 after the defeat of the Spanish to better protect their interests. Fort Picton is one of seventy four such forts in the world and the first of its type in the western hemisphere, a design considered at the time to be revolutionary.
One of the earliest examples of Trinidad's architecture is the Masonic Lodge off Piccadilly Street built in 1804. In 1853 Governor Lord Harris inaugurated the first water distribution system in and around Port of Spain, represented in Laventille by the "Governor's Spoon", both for human consumption and as a horse's trough for drinking, on the Old St. Joseph Road. The city abattoir was established opposite the "Spoon" in 1900. There are also important examples of "gingerbread" houses from the early twentieth century along Piccadilly Street, two of them in excellent condition, one recently used as the subject for students from Carleton University in Canada studying conservation. There are also the Stations of Cross on Calvary Hill built by the Sorzano family in about 1880. Of course too, Laventille is the home of Desperadoes, one of Trinidad's leading steel orchestras.
Some of the greatest views of Port of Spain, and to the East to the islands and Venezuela and to the south across the Caroni Swamp to Point Lisas and San Fernando are from Laventille. There are also contemporary examples of important aspects of our built heritage, such as the Temple-in-the-Sea and the Dattareya Mandir and the Hanuman murti at Waterloo.
These assets can readily be turned into commercial successes through tourism and supporting infrastructure such as restaurants, cafes and sale of tourist artifacts. Tobago has been more successful in encouraging the use of their built heritage for tourism - Fort King George and its Pre-Columbian Museum, sites identified for their historic importance and buildings such as The President's House.
Our built heritage not only will teach students of our society about themselves, but help to sustain its continued conservation.
Geoffrey MacLean
14 May 2011
|
