Bulldozing of 2 old Caymanian houses highlights lack of protection

The demolition of two old Caymanian buildings at the George Town waterfront over the weekend has highlighted the absence of any legal protections for the preservation of historic structures in the Cayman Islands.

On Saturday, two neighbouring houses dating back to the 1930s, on North Church Street, were bulldozed to the ground. Both were on the National Trust’s Heritage Register.

One of the houses, listed as Benny Bodden’s House on the register, was operating as Da Fish Shack restaurant until just a few days before it was demolished. The second house, listed as Ainsley Bodden’s House, had in recent years been the site of an art gallery.

While the National Trust for the Cayman Islands has taken the lead in registering historic buildings across all three islands, successive governments have failed to introduce legislation that would mandate the preservation of any of the premises listed in the Trust’s registry, or put in place any conditions relating to relocation of old buildings.

In 2017, for example, the Progressives-led government issued the ‘National Culture and Heritage Policy and Strategic Plan for the Cayman Islands 2017-2026′.

This document states in one of the strategic aims: “Legislation which safeguards built heritage and the harmonisation of legal provisions for the safeguarding of movable heritage and intangible cultural heritage is urgently needed.”

The National Trust, in a press release issued in October last year, after the PACT administration had taken office, said that discussions were ongoing with government about creating a “statutory framework” to protect Cayman’s built heritage.

Those discussions were based on a proposal that had been drafted by Richard Mileham of the Planning Department in conjunction with the National Trust’s Historic Advisory Committee and which had been submitted to government “a few years ago”, the release noted.

Destroying history

The National Trust, in that release, also stated that while certain areas are zoned as ‘historic’, “there are no specific statutes in law that expressly prohibit the destruction of these structures once purchased”.

The Trust’s National Heritage Register contains 353 sites, which includes structures that were included when the list was first drawn up in the 1990s and which have since been demolished or fell victim to Hurricane Ivan.

Not only are there no laws to protect historic buildings in Cayman, there is also no specific government funding for this purpose.

In January this year, the National Trust launched a ‘Historic Preservation Fund’, and invited individuals and organisations to “financially contribute and directly support the preservation, protection and promotion of built heritage throughout the Cayman Islands”.

In a press release announcing that new fundraising mechanism, Annick Jackman, executive director of the National Trust, said, “There has always been a need for specific funding to protect the historic structures from our past, which in many instances require a substantial amount of maintenance and care.”

She added, “It is of the greatest importance that efforts are made to reach out to the public for assistance at this time, as Cayman’s culture and heritage have never been so at risk by the rapid pace of development and a deficit of general knowledge around the
area of Cayman built heritage.”

The National Trust owns or manages 12 historic sites in Cayman, but the many others on its heritage register remain mostly within the private sector.

Woody Foster, managing director of the Foster’s supermarket chain, came up against the issue of how to preserve a historical building after buying land next door to the Foster’s Republix store in West Bay. After he revealed plans to relocate the 103-year-old house, known as the Aldine Franklin House, so he could expand the supermarket, Foster’s came under fire for not preserving the home in situ.

The Central Planning Authority eventually granted permission for the expansion plans to go ahead, and the house is currently being dismantled in preparation for its relocation.

At the CPA meeting to discuss his application, he said Foster’s was willing to commit to help develop a process for preserving historic buildings on island, including “putting money behind that and putting our name behind that”.

Foster suggested at the time that a ‘preservation park’ could be created where historical homes could be relocated and maintained, so that an option would be available if a similar issue arose again.

He told the Compass this week that he had spoken to the National Trust on the issue, and was invited to a meeting to discuss it last week but was off island and could not attend.

System needs fixing

But, he said, “I am definitely interested in working with the Cayman Islands government, the National Trust, and other stakeholders in having a better process. You cannot have a system where you fight about this at the point of development application; it is too late then.”

Benny Bodden’s House was built around 1937 by its owner, Capt. Thomas Bennie Bodden, who passed away in 1978, according to National Trust records. Ainsley Bodden’s House was built in the late 1930s.

On its social media pages, management of Da Fish Shack posted about the restaurant’s sudden closure, stating, “For over 10 years, Da Fish Shack has been a favourite George Town destination for locals and visitors alike and we are sad to have pulled up anchor at our first home. The recent closure of Da Fish Shack was not a decision made by the restaurant owners, but as a result of notice received from the landlords to vacate the premises by July 31st, 2022.”

It’s not clear what will replace the two buildings, but the Central Planning Authority had granted planning permission in November 2016 to JIL Corporation Ltd. for two single-storey commercial buildings for retail and restaurant uses to be erected there.

In an analysis of the application, the Planning Department at the time said, “The Authority should note that two existing old Caymanian-style houses would be removed to make way for this modern design building with concrete paving surrounding the building. Section 3.02 of the 1997 Development Plan states the Authority will require a standard of design, construction and landscaping which reflects the local architectural heritage. The Authority should assess if the proposed building design reflects the local architectural heritage.”

The Compass has reached out the National Trust and to the Ministry of Youth, Sports, Culture and Heritage for an update on the discussions over the preservation of historic buildings in Cayman and is awaiting a response.