THE EDITOR, Sir:LITTLE has been heard lately about the plan to move the National Gallery from downtown Kingston, to Liguanea Park. That could be for the best.
I propose that the Gallery, instead of being shifted to New Kingston, be moved to one of the buildings around the Spanish Town square. There are a number of reasons why this makes sense.
Yes, New Kingston is a more convenient location for Kingstonians than Spanish Town. But Spanish Town is more convenient for most other Jamaicans as it is a more central place. The population of St. Catherine is growing faster than that of Kingston and the present roads as well as planned network make it a better location.
One of the critical reasons why the new Gallery has not yet been built, I suspect, is that funding has been difficult to source. But funding has already been found for a partial restoration of the square and I believe that more could be found for a development with a firm commercial footing, such as placing the Gallery there.
Combining the National Gallery and the square would also create a powerful synergy, with commercial implications. I can foresee the combination becoming one of Jamaica's leading tourist attractions, drawing visitors both from here and abroad. A few tourists now visit the square and a few the Gallery, but it would be difficult for anyone with a modicum of culture or a sense of history not to want to see the two together.
The square has been described as the most beautiful Georgian Square in the Caribbean. Locals scurrying to or from the North Coast do not get the opportunity to appreciate this national treasure. That would change.
I believe the Peoples Museum, now located in the square also would begin to get the attention it deserves.
The square can easily be closed off and traffic re-routed to create an area where regular craft fairs could be held, attracting people from all across the central core of the island.
Many people now commute from Spanish Town to Kingston for work, so the distance should not be a problem for the present, presumably Kingston-based staff of the Gallery. And they would be going in the opposite direction to the general flow of traffic, so their commute should be easier than those following the general pattern.
Are there problems with moving the Gallery to the square? Of course there are. But I believe the main consideration is whether the Kingston-based decision makers can remove their blinkers and see what is best for the country as a whole.
I am, etc.,
ANDREW GREEN
Lot 494 Eltham View
Spanish Town
