Historic Home receives New ‘Lease’ on Life

A multi-agency effort to move a historic house from the centre of George Town to Bobby Thompson Way was executed in the early hours of Sunday, 5th April.

The National Trust for the Cayman Islands (NTCI), along with the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, Caribbean Utilities Company (CUC), Flow, The National Roads Authority (NRA), One GT, and the Royal Cayman Islands Police (RCIPS) coordinated the move which was done during the Easter Holiday to avoid major disruption to the public.

The prep work, planning and execution of the move were facilitated by contractor Miguel Brown of Cayman Docks and Decks.

Known as the Louise Llewellyn House, the structure was built by Gifford Anderson in 1875 and has stood in George Town as a prominent representation of Caymanian architectural culture and heritage for over 150 years. It was the residence of Mrs. Louise Llewellyn, who the street connecting Elgin Avenue to Goring Avenue was named after (Louise Llewellyn Way).

Many in the George Town community remember Mrs. Louise Llewellyn as an active participant in the community, who could be seen on her porch or in the yard waving at motorists and pedestrians.

The home was also known as one of the boarding houses in George Town, which was a place where visitant sea-men, Pastors and missionaries may have stayed during their time in Grand Cayman.

During recent years, the land the house sits on had been sold to the developers of the One GT residential project in the area and the area is slated to be used as a car park going forward. As a result, the house was in imminent danger of being demolished.

However, the developers at One GT were conscious of the historical significance of the home and made efforts through their real estate agent to contact the National Trust to see if a deal could be brokered with a private/public entity to take the house and move it to a location where it could be saved and enjoyed by present and future generations.

Upon learning of the opportunity to save the house, the National Trust began seeking to broker a deal to save the home via various internal and external channels, as the organisation has assisted in several rescues of traditional Caymanian homes over the years and has come to be sought out for its efforts and expertise in that regard.

Historic Programmes Manager for the National Trust, Stuart Wilson led much of the negotiations with the Ministry of Culture, who stepped up to take the house and also provided a place for it to be placed.

Funds for the move were provided by both One GT and the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture.

“This was a team effort and the Ministry of Youth Sports and Culture and One GT really came through to make this exercise a reality. We also had the assistance of several partner agencies in the effort, in what has become a great private and public partnership to save these homes”, noted Mr. Wilson.

The Full Article with more images can be found in the Caymanian Times Newspaper Wednesday Edition which can also be downloaded from the Website on Tuesday.