Dear Editor,

A brief history of the Ward Theatre (formerly The Kingston Theatre) is documented on the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation’s website. The current building replaced the one destroyed in the 1907 earthquake.

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In Jamaica, national monuments declared by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT) are often aligned to specific events such as National Labour Day renovation projects; wreath laying and Independence Day ceremonies; sporting- and tourism-related activities. Occasionally, they make the news for the all-out controversy surrounding them, usually associated with lack of funding.

Television Jamaica’s Prime Time news feature A monument in limbo: A Ward Theatre probe by Romardo Lyons on March 3, 2025 and March 4, 2025 is an example of this. Many viewers would have been caught off guard that the just-under $90 million spent so far is a mere drop in the bucket for what is required.

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However, the larger context of this issue, which warrants consideration, is whether it is reasonable to expect that the Ward Theatre can ever return to its glory days in a changing urban landscape, or should it be considered for adaptive reuse? The literature on adaptive reuse is abundant in the public domain. Adaptive reuse of heritage buildings involves modifying old or monumental structures to make them suitable for new and non-destructive uses while preserving their historical integrity. This process allows buildings to maintain their heritage significance while serving contemporary needs. Different approaches include historic preservation, renovation, integration, and facadism.

How would this apply to the Ward Theatre? It could be integrated in the operations of the National Museum of Jamaica and the National Library of Jamaica whose East Street location has proven challenging over the years to attract greater visitor traffic to these institutions. The Ward is also in close proximity to Liberty Hall – The Legacy of Marcus Garvey and Jamaica National Heritage Trust, the latter a crammed facility perhaps waiting for the construction of the new Parliament building.

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Information from the Urban Development Corporation’s (UDC) website indicate, “UDC is managing the construction of the new Houses of Parliament at National Heroes’ Park. The project is currently in procurement. This development will see the upgrading of the Park and to the surrounding infrastructure. A major element of project is the regeneration of National Heroes’ Park. National Heroes’ Park will have improved landscaping, spaces for outdoor sporting activities, upgraded kiddies play areas, picnic areas, seating, a water feature, and jogging trail. The refurbishment of National Heroes’ Park is part of the overall government initiative to have safe, green spaces across the island to promote national wellness.”

In terms of funding, has the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation and others considered escalating an adaptive reuse to the UNESCO for funding consideration or tapping into networks like the Caribbean/international Diaspora to offer support not just for funding but to volunteer rare skills needed to work on the building? What research has been done by our local and regional universities on an adaptive reuse for the Ward Theatre? Shouldn’t research drive the policy direction for this project?

Great job, Romardo Lyons! I loved the Jimmy Cliff theme song, Sitting here in Limbo.

Joan Francis

Museum and heritage preservation officer

University of Technology, Jamaica