Patricia Green | Jamaica courthouse heritage reducing to ashes

“A people without knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots,” wrote the Rt Excellent Marcus Mosiah Garvey. We lament the destruction of Jamaica’s historic courthouses, and share some architectural and historical knowledge of their importance and significance. Courthouses are the global symbols of authority and justice in a nation.

1. February 13, 2022 – Fire at the Brown’s Town Courthouse in St Ann. A cut-stone, five-bay, double-storey building with central entry portico; its architecture appears 18th century, possibly even 17th century from Spanish occupation of Jamaica. Hamilton Brown (1776-1843) is buried in the Brown’s Town churchyard of St Mark’s Anglican Church, rebuilt 1895. Brown’s Town was founded by Hamilton, who represented St Ann in the House of Assembly for 22 years. The town, previously named Hamilton Town, is the largest inland market town in St Ann.

2. November 7, 2019 – Fire at the Mandeville Old Parish Court (ca. 1817) in Manchester. Interestingly, Minister of Justice Delroy Chuck announced in February 2019 the construction of a new courthouse for Mandeville. The old courthouse, the oldest building in the square, is breathtakingly handsome as creole-style architecture that combines local designs and craftsmanship with classical architecture during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Containing a rhythm of traditional jalousies that are narrow wooden louvres, flanking European glazed sash windows, each had a curved canopy covering. Its main entry is at the ‘piano nobile’ or principal floor which is above the ground floor. A staircase that is divided into two branches or forks, known as ‘bifurcated’, curves its way to the entrance portico on the upper floor. Constructed in stone, the building carries columns in the classical Doric Order of Palladian architecture. The charred shell of the Mandeville Old Courthouse remains after 3 years.

3. December 30, 2015 – Fire at the Family Court and its Remedial School, 79 Duke Street in downtown Kingston. This is part of the historic property of ‘Headquarters House’ (ca. 1755), former House of Parliament for which, in the 1980s, I executed historic restoration for the offices of the Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT). The former court building (ca. 1950s) is a four-storey concrete structure, formerly annexed to the Colonial Secretary, also formerly Ministry of Home Affairs. It epitomises tropical design with cross-ventilated offices accessed off a continuous veranda. My mother Stephanie Green worked there and I attended the St George’s Primary School for Girls opposite. By June 2017, the Ministry of Justice reported that it acquired and renovated a property at 119A Maxfield Avenue to house the Coroner’s and Special Coroner’s courts. This tropical architecture office Modernism formed the backdrop to video clips of parliamentarians quarrelling as they walked formally into the opening session of Parliament on February 10th and remains in ruins after five years.

4. February 19, 2007 – Fire at the Morant Bay Courthouse, St Thomas. This was its second fire, the first being on October 11, 1865 when the courthouse witnessed the Morant Bay Rebellion. Associated with Paul Bogle and George William Gordon, both national heroes, Jamaica Heritage Week in October commemorates this event in Jamaica’s history. A two-storey stone building with brick trim, its bifurcated staircase leads to the piano nobile landing under an arched portico with a gable roof. This portico roof is capped by a hexagonal architectural lantern comprising fixed jalousies with a hip roof. The building had ‘cooler boxes’ which are projecting 3-sided jalousies shading the glazed sash windows. In July 2014, then Minister of Justice Mark Golding opened a newly constructed courthouse elsewhere. However, the legendary old courthouse remains a burnt-out shell after 15 years.

5. 1988 – Fire at Port Maria Courthouse (ca. 1821) in St Mary. A seven-bay, double-storey brick building with stone ‘quoins’ or corners and trims around openings, it has a central portico that protects the entrance with a timber-framed first floor. Inside this building occurred the famous 1942 trial of manslaughter against Alexander Bustamante, successfully defended by Norman Manley, both now national heroes. In 1996, a new Port Maria Courthouse was built at another location. In 2000, as architect and historic preservationist, I was responsible for the old courthouse restoration and adaptive use as the Port Maria Civic Centre.

6. March 18, 1986 – Fire at the Spanish Town Circuit and Resident Magistrate’s Courts (ca. 1819) in St Catherine. Situated southerly on Emancipation Square, reputed to be the finest Georgian Square in the Americas, this square holds primary significance because the Declaration of Emancipation from slavery across British colonies was read there on August 1, 1834. The old courthouse is an imposing two-storey red-brick building with a central arched entrance terminated by a cupola or dome roof; capped by an octagonal architectural lantern containing fixed jalousies, and a clock. Atop this was a dome roof and weather vane finial displaying the cardinal points (N, S, E, W). Seven bays are on either side of the central entrance. Court offices were on the ground floor, with the upper level used as a town hall for concerts, lectures and theatre. Under Spanish Jamaica (1494-1655), the site was church and cemetery, rumoured to echo a caveat – “Ill to anyone who uses this site for any other than its originally intended purpose”. The English destroyed the church, then built an armoury prior to the courthouse. Stones from the Spanish church still remain there. In November 1997, Prime Minister P. J. Patterson opened a new courthouse elsewhere. By March 2010, Minister of Youth, Sport and Culture Olivia Grange declared the old courthouse would become a civic centre. In 1986, I initiated and managed the installation of chain-link fencing after the fire, to safeguard the brick shell. Both remain in ruins after 36 years.

7. 1968 – Fire destroyed the Montego Bay Old Courthouse (ca. 1774) in St James. Other buildings in the square were also razed. The site is best known for the 1832 trial of Samuel Sharpe, now national hero. The old courthouse ground floor housed offices and regular court sessions. The upper floor hosted balls, plays and recitals. A new courthouse was built elsewhere. In 1997, Architect Michael Carter undertook major alterations to convert the old courthouse into the Montego Bay Civic Centre.

Although commonly called ‘Georgian’, Jamaican courthouses are creole architecture style representing transcultural manifestations. Georgian relates to the period when four different kings named George reigned in England (1714-1837) and influenced style. The Development of Creole Society in Jamaica, 1770-1820 by Kamau Brathwaite suggests Jamaican architecture is distinctly local and would appear foreign if it were to have been placed inside the UK. Who will ensure restoration and adaptive re-use of this Jamaica legacy of iconic courthouses?

- Patricia Green, PhD, is a registered architect, a graduate of the Architectural Association School of Architecture and former head of the Caribbean School of Architecture in the Faculty of the Built Environment at University of Technology, Jamaica. Send feedback to patgreen2008@gmail.com.