Bridge will alter Red House gallery

PART of the gallery of the 175-year-old Red House will be removed to accommodate a new bridge to ancillary parliamentary offices in nearby Cabildo Chambers, Newsday learnt from National Trust chairman Margaret Mc Dowell. “There is a gallery around the Red House. They will take a piece down and preserve it, for possible future use.”

She said it is impractical for people to climb over the balcony’s stone railing known as a balustrade.

The addition had prompted “a lot of soul searching” within the trust.

“The Red House is a heritage site and a monument so it is best not to be touched in any way, but the difficulty is that the Cabildo building will be a companion building to Parliament.”

Mc Dowell said the other options to try to join the two buildings were not feasible. Firstly, having MPs and parliamentary staff crossing a busy street was not realistic, she said. Secondly, a tunnel under the road would be “extremely expensive” and more so was very impractical because of the extremely high water table in that area, and due to the presence of sewer lines more than 100 years old. Mc Dowell said the bridge was the only feasible option. “I have a difficulty with it, but practically it is the only thing to do.” Ms Dowell made the point that the Red House has already been altered to install services such as air-conditioning, elevators and electrical wiring.

On the aesthetics of the bridge, she said the steel-beam structure now been erected is just a framework. “It will be clad. We don’t want it to be too ostentatious so as to be a distraction from the Red House.” Mc Dowell said the installation of the bridge will affect the western view of the Red House, but not the views on the other sides including the east as seen from Woodford Square. “But even then it is near the middle, so it’s not the first thing you see,” she said of the western view.

Mc Dowell said the bridge, or sky-link, will not only facilitate the movement of people but also the supply of services from Cabildo Chambers into the Red House. “Everybody has approved it. It’ll be designed by an architect.” She said consultants were held with the trust, Port of Spain City Corporation and the Town and Country Planning Division.

“It will be shielded and secure.” She said due to a slight change of elevation between the two buildings, the bridge will have a slight kink in it.

“There has been a lot of thought on it, and discussion back and forth. Udecott and Parliament, everybody has been involved.”

Newsday asked about the mention of a monument to be built on Knox Street in Udecott’s request for proposals (RFPs) for the renovation. Mc Dowell recalled the discovery of Amerindian bones under the Red House and said the monument will pay tribute to them, by a design to be done in collaboration with TT’s First Peoples.

Mc Dowell said the renovated Red House, Woodford Square and the old Public Library will together form a heritage zone that locals and tourists can visit.

“I’d like it to be pedestrianised. It will be the place to go.” Udecott’s original RFP advert, dated October 11 2016, said contactors must have already built a similar project costing $50 million. It said the renovation of Cabildo Chambers would include building an enclosed walkway, meetings rooms, a modern parliament library; pedestrianizing of Knox Street; expansion of parliamentary precincts and provision of mechanical, electrical and plumbing services.

NH International head Emile Elias by email confirmed to Newsday he was contractor, but otherwise referred queries to Udecott, but Newsday was unable to contact Udecott head Noel Garcia.