City Hall has been in a dilapidated state for years, but the Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown (M&CC) are moving to discuss a restoration fund that would facilitate the 125-year-old building being returned to its former glory.
This announcement comes on the heels of the Comprehensive Restoration and Sustainable Conservation Management Plan that was completed in 2017, which focused on how to go about restoring the ancient building.
City Hall
“We’re inviting them to a special meeting to discuss establishing a restoration fund for City Hall,” Town Clerk Royston King announced.
The meeting will see attendance from representatives of The National Trust, The Heritage Society, the Private Sector Commission, the University of Guyana, and the Ministry of Tourism. The National Trust had previously sat down with the M&CC to discuss plans for City Hall’s restoration.
Georgetown Mayor Patricia Chase-Greene had, in 2016, estimated that it would cost $200 million to restore City Hall. She had disclosed that the European Union (EU) had expressed willingness to assist with the restoration process. Staying true to their word, The EU had, in December 2016, inked a contract with the M&CC to initiate the Comprehensive Restoration and Sustainable Conservation Management Plan. That project was contracted to the EURONET consulting company GEIE for the sum of EUR 279,196 (Gy$64 million). However, after suggestions were presented in regard to the project, the onus had fallen upon the City Council and Central Government to come up with the money needed for the building’s restoration.
The Mayor had explained that the rehabilitation would be costly due to the intricacies of the building, especially in the wrought iron work.
City Hall was designed by architect Reverend Ignatius Scoles in 1887, and was completed in June 1889. The nineteenth century, Gothic revival-style building is supposed to house the offices of the Mayor, the City Council, and the City Engineer.
