OPM returns to Whitehall from Monday

AFTER ten years and $32 million, the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) returns to Whitehall on Monday.
One of the Magnificent Seven buildings along Maraval Road at the western side of the Queen’s Park Savannah, the newly restored Whitehall was handed over to the OPM by the Urban Development Corporation (Udecott) on Thursday.
“It’s easy to take things for granted, but a building like this, in the context of TT’s (history) and resource base, is priceless,” the Prime Minister said in his feature address.
The building, completed (within budget, Dr Rowley stressed) and presented two days before the deadline of Independence Day, was inherited from the country’s colonial past, and TT should be grateful for the majesty and legacy of buildings of this nature.
“(We) should say thanks that we have under our care and guidance these buildings.”
Rowley has taken a personal interest in this restoration project and is the chairman of the Cabinet oversight committee for historical restoration, called Icon. Buildings in the programme include Whitehall, President’s House, Stollmeyer’s Castle, Mille Fleurs and the Red House.
Stollmeyer’s Castle ( now renamed Castle Killarney) is adjacent to Whitehall and was recommissioned and opened to the public last year. Its renovation cost about $16 million. Mille Fleurs had been on the verge of being condemned after an initial assessment, but with assistance from the Cuban government it has been salvaged. The President’s House is at an advanced stage of restoration and Rowley said he expected it to be ready for occupancy in the very near future.
The Red House, the traditional seat of Parliament, should be ready for some services to start moving in by the end of September. The goal is that by the end of Christmas break, Parliament will finally be able to convene in the Red House after its temporary relocation in 2011 to Tower D of the Waterfront Complex on Wrightson Road.
Rowley also mentioned that with Parliament moved back to the Red House, the 11 floors of Tower D which it now occupies will be converted to a suite of civil courts. Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi is expected to speak more on this on Monday, but these suites will free space in the Hall of Justice to oversee criminal cases.
Although not included in the Icon refurbishment, Rowley also mentioned that renovations on the former Ministry of Agriculture building in St Clair are almost complete. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be transferred there from its current spot in Tower C of the Waterfront Complex.
The present OPM building on St Clair Avenue will remain in use for administrative business because space at Whitehall is limited.
“Yes, (these buildings) cost money to fix, but it is worth the expense," Rowley said. "It is more than money. It is the soul of a nation, and if a nation has a soul it can be saved." These buildings inspire the country and could not be allowed to fall into disrepair, he said, despite difficult economic times. Channelling a sense of patriotism on the eve of the country’s 57th anniversary of Independence, he said the symbolism and history was important.
“It connects you. It’s what makes this nation worthwhile.”

ABOUT WHITEHALL:

Whitehall, originally called Rosenweg (Rose Way), was built in 1904 by Joseph Leon Agostini, a wealthy cocoa farmer. It was the largest of the private Magnificent Seven residences along the Savannah. In 1910, it was sold to Venezuelan-American businessman Robert Henderson.
During World War II it was commandeered from Henderson’s heirs, the Siegert family, and was used as a command base until the war’s end in 1944. In 1953, the Government purchased the building for $123,000 (adjusted for inflation, that would be closer to $10 million in today’s dollars).
In 1963, it was first used as the Office of the Prime Minister until 1988, when the OPM relocated to the Central Bank Tower at the Eric Williams Financial Complex on Independence Square. OPM returned to Whitehall in 1998 until 2008 when it was closed for renovation.
It is said to be haunted by the ghost of Agostini, who some have claimed to see sitting on a bench on the upstairs verandah overlooking the Savannah, perhaps making up for lost time, since he was only able to spend two years in his masterpiece beforehe died in 1906. His daughter is rumoured to haunt the attic, creating eerie breezes with the swish of her skirts.