Beyond the great work of promotion that involves art walks, the murals, and entertainment, there needs to be historic preservation,.
The structures that have been preserved are few, grand, famous and made of masonry. Wood, which is most reflective of African sculptural excellence, and has been blended with colonial rationality, precious thought it is, has been neglected to the vanishing point.
Jamaican Escapade, who seems to go beyond documentation to actually investigating the structural situation of venerable, deteriorated structures, has identified something immensely valuable on Princess St. 20 years ago, I would have been amazed to see something like this, with all its basic features and styling intact. It is all the more remarkable that such a structure still stands.
It is well past amazing that the Art and Architecture schools can't step in to stop further deterioration of this structure, and document its materials and structure against further loss (and the loss of memory). This neglect is shameful.
The stabilization of this building is more urgent than murals.
The KC community runs the risk of working mightily and having their efforts serve gentrification and foreignness, when holding on to such significant and authentic Jamaican remnants could help to ward off gentrification and contribute toward "regeneration" instead.
Is there some reason why an art walk, or preparation for it, can't coincide with knocking on the door of this building, and assessing the needs and priorities of its occupants as regard preservation? Allowing this structure to languish, when help is so near, will not be forgiven or forgotten.
Stabilizing this building, in terms of the human and social, as well as the material aspect should not necessarily be onerous, I can can assure all that I am not the only person who knows how to stabilize it without the loss of any detail. (Trench Town Culture Yard is a Kingston example available to all). Stabilization (as in "arrested decay" could be virtually free of cost.
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