Project reinvigorates landmark

An extensive renovation project is resurrecting a familiar landmark in West Bay, as contractors are putting the finishing touches on a new office for Bodden & Bodden Attorneys at Law. The two-storey office will be located on the property that formerly contained Spurgeon Ebanks’ hardware store in the early 1970s and later the Republix Supermarket in the late 1990s. 

Scott Gossen, an associate at DDL Studio Ltd., started designing the project in 2008. Originally planned to be a straight renovation of the existing structure, the project evolved into a partial demolition, reconstruction and addition in order to comply with planning requirements and to add additional space to the building. 

Following a recommendation from the Central Planning Authority that 10 feet be removed from the front of the building in order to create a 10-foot setback from busy West Church Street, architects decided to also include an addition in order to increase the area of the building to 7,086 square feet, up from the 4,420 square feet in the original. 

Preserving history  

Even with the changes, developers made sure to preserve the historic appearance of the structure. “This is what makes the building special,” Mr. Gossen said. “After removing the front 10 feet of the building, we re-created it. The new openings along that facade are false, but the locations and size of the openings match the original structure 50 years ago. The shutters are custom-made and proportioned to match the existing as well, complete with hinges and security latches. 

“The addition was designed to complement the existing style of the building,” he said. “The new ‘cool’ roof finish is corrugated aluminium to match the existing zinc. It provides all the character, but with modern roofing technology.” The new wood siding and window trims, along with the slope and style of the new extension’s roof, match the original structure. The property is located at the intersection of West Church Street and Elizabeth Street, with the West Bay Post Office located on the other side of Balsam Close. 

Construction on the $1.5 million project began in January, creating 10 jobs for professionals (architects and engineers) and about 30 construction jobs, with all work being performed by local companies, Mr. Gossen said. The project is in the finishing stages, including drywall installation, painting, decorative features, interior millwork and landscaping. 

Tenants had planned to move into the building by Christmas, but weather delays may push the move-in date to January, he said. 

In addition to being used as a hardware store and supermarket, the building also has been used as a day care and a warehouse. Before this renovation project, it had been vacant for many years, Mr. Gossen said. 

According to Cayman Free Press archives, several years after Linton Tibbetts’ 1948 purchase of Cox Lumber and Supply Co. of St. Petersburg, Florida, Mr. Tibbetts began supplying building materials to Mr. Ebanks for his West Bay lumber yard. The two friends had a gentlemen’s agreement that Mr. Tibbetts would not operate in Grand Cayman until Mr. Ebanks retired, which he did in the late 1980s. Mr. Tibbetts opened Cox Lumber Co. on Eastern Avenue in August 1989. 

Green features  

In addition to the emphasis on maintaining the historic integrity of the property, developers also incorporated eco-conscious features. For example, Mr. Gossen said, “The cistern was re-commissioned and the collected rain water flushes the toilets, urinals, and supplies the drip-irrigation system.” 

The property features local adaptive landscaping from Vigoro Nursery, high-efficiency building envelope and mechanical systems, bamboo millwork, and real-time energy monitoring, so the tenant can promote conservation on a daily basis, he said. The building also has low interior partitions to increase the amount of daylight and reduce demand for artificial lighting, he said. 

The building’s location also promotes energy efficiency because it is close to where many staffers live, reducing the length of commutes.  

“Many of the staff live in West Bay and the firm wanted to breathe life into an old building and to try to assist in creating a village atmosphere once again in the West Bay area,” he said. “The client was very specific with what he wanted. He wanted the exterior of the building to maintain and preserve West Bay’s heritage. By preserving as much of the existing structure as possible the building took on a shape of its own. Every element of this project is very unique and generally wouldn’t make a lot of sense from a new build stand point. In order to create a little flare we rotated the second floor of the addition by two degrees. This created an angled atrium inside and soffit on the exterior. “The interior is a different story,” Mr. Gossen said. “We wanted to maintain the warehouse feel, but create the functionality of an office space. We introduced elements such as an open steel stair, an exposed concrete feature wall that wraps around the ground floor of the atrium and up the stair tower, and sliding barn doors for the offices and boardroom along the that wall. The west facing interior wall along the atrium will be painted to match the bright colours of the famous Cayman sunset. Historical artwork will be enlarged and placed along the wall to further enhance the historical attributes of this building. 

“So essentially the design was to create a law office, but maintain the historical elements of both the exterior and interior to promote local island architecture,” he said. “It was a pleasure working with Bodden & Bodden on this project because of their passion for promoting local businesses and culture.” 

The property owner, according to Planning Authority documents, is Tough & Tetue. Mr. Gossen said the owner is “[a] local Caymanian company whose existence and success was made possible by the foresight of and support from Sherri and Lynn Bodden, the founding partners of Bodden & Bodden, Attorneys-at-Law”. The new West Bay office is an expansion for the firm, which will also remain in its other location in Grand Cayman in Grand Pavilion Commercial Centre as well as its Cayman Brac location in The Bodden Building in Stake Bay.