f Paria - Ins and Outs of Trinidad & Tobago 2013
f Paria - Ins and Outs of Trinidad & Tobago 2013
f Paria - Ins and Outs of Trinidad & Tobago 2013
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The <strong>Trinidad</strong><br />
Edson Boodoosingh<br />
experience<br />
The Port <strong>of</strong> Spain International Waterfront Centre<br />
The Waterfront<br />
by Nasser Khan<br />
Port <strong>of</strong> Spain, the capital city <strong>of</strong> <strong>Trinidad</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Tobago</strong> since<br />
1784, a “Port” as its name implies, lies on the seafront nestled<br />
in the protected northwestern peninsula <strong>of</strong> <strong>Trinidad</strong>. “Spain”<br />
was maintained as part <strong>of</strong> its name even though the British<br />
captured it from the Spanish in 1797. Under the Spaniards it<br />
was named Puerto de los Hispanioles <strong>and</strong> Puerto España <strong>and</strong><br />
up to time <strong>of</strong> the British capture had a population <strong>of</strong> about<br />
10,000.<br />
At that time, the existing southern-most street in Port <strong>of</strong><br />
Spain was Rue de La Marine running east to west. Between<br />
this street <strong>and</strong> the shoreline was Place de La Marine or Plaza<br />
de La Marina as the Spaniards came to call it though not by<br />
any means a marina as we know it today, but simply a seaside<br />
playground for the city dwellers <strong>and</strong> others. In honour <strong>of</strong> their<br />
king, the British called the street, King Street (later Marine<br />
Square North) <strong>and</strong> renamed the “Place/Plaza,” Marine Square,<br />
later on when the area was filled in <strong>and</strong> paved according to the<br />
st<strong>and</strong>ards at that time. Until Independence in 1962, the area<br />
maintained its name when it became Independence Square.<br />
Today it is known as the Brian Lara Promenade, in honour <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Trinidad</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Tobago</strong>’s most famous cricketer.<br />
Port <strong>of</strong> Spain’s waterfront development, from a quiet<br />
shallow seashore with mud flats <strong>and</strong> mangrove “sea lots” in<br />
places, to an ultra-modern port with a skyline <strong>of</strong> <strong>of</strong>fice <strong>and</strong><br />
hotel buildings, can be traced to a series <strong>of</strong> l<strong>and</strong> reclamation<br />
projects starting around the early 1800s. These projects were<br />
precipitated by the virtual complete destruction <strong>of</strong> the town<br />
by the Great Fire <strong>of</strong> 1808. That shallow seashore has evolved<br />
today into, for the most part, a modern deep-water harbour<br />
that stretches from the Lighthouse at the bottom <strong>of</strong> Frederick<br />
Street, the city’s main street, to the end <strong>of</strong> Wrightson Road just<br />
before MovieTowne Plaza or Invader’s Bay.<br />
The first large reclamation <strong>and</strong> development phase took<br />
place from 1803–1823 from Marine Square southward <strong>and</strong><br />
thus South Quay was born which allowed for barges <strong>and</strong> small<br />
boats. In 1842, the now famous l<strong>and</strong>mark the Lighthouse was<br />
built amid some controversy as to its usefulness. By 1845,<br />
the areas adjoining South Quay to the west <strong>and</strong> south were<br />
developed <strong>and</strong> were called the St. Vincent Wharf <strong>and</strong> the<br />
Queen’s Wharf respectively. At this point Frederick, Chacon,<br />
Henry <strong>and</strong> Charlotte streets were extended southward across<br />
Marine Square to South Quay while further west at the bottom<br />
<strong>of</strong> Richmond <strong>and</strong> Edward Streets. Corbeaux town (though<br />
originally Coburg Town) grew out <strong>of</strong> that section <strong>of</strong> the<br />
reclaimed l<strong>and</strong> with a jetty serving such commercial activities<br />
as the cattle boats from Venezuela.<br />
What then was the next stage <strong>of</strong> development With the<br />
booming town <strong>and</strong> capital city becoming a hub <strong>of</strong> trade <strong>and</strong><br />
commerce for the region the authorities now had to think<br />
<strong>of</strong> facilitating imports <strong>and</strong> exports (<strong>and</strong> later passenger <strong>and</strong><br />
cruise ships) via large vessels. Thus began in 1935, the “Deep<br />
Water Harbour Scheme.” The sea at that time came up to<br />
what is now the middle <strong>of</strong> the relatively newly built Wrightson<br />
Road.<br />
This phase in the development <strong>of</strong> the city’s waterfront before<br />
<strong>and</strong> after the building <strong>of</strong> the Wrightson Road made Corbeaux<br />
Town a thing <strong>of</strong> the past. The best way to conceptualise this<br />
latest phase was to think <strong>of</strong> a bowstring stretching across the<br />
sea from the lighthouse to the area just before the MovieTowne<br />
complex where the current port ends. This entire area within<br />
that arc <strong>and</strong> bowstring was sea area that would have to be<br />
reclaimed, extended from Wrightson out to the bowstring with<br />
deep waters beyond to accommodate the large vessels.<br />
Today, the Port <strong>of</strong> Port <strong>of</strong> Spain is the country’s major port<br />
for containerised shipping. Cruise ships dock at the port,<br />
which also operates the ferry service between <strong>Trinidad</strong> &<br />
<strong>Tobago</strong> as well as the Port <strong>of</strong> Spain to San Fern<strong>and</strong>o ferry. The<br />
City Gate terminal at the east end <strong>of</strong> the waterfront serves as a<br />
transportation hub for public buses <strong>and</strong> private mini-buses.<br />
The most recent development phase is The Port <strong>of</strong> Spain<br />
International Waterfront Centre aimed at revitalising,<br />
transforming <strong>and</strong> modernising the waterfront’s skyline <strong>and</strong><br />
had among its master plan the construction <strong>of</strong> two high-rise<br />
<strong>of</strong>fice towers, the Hyatt Regency Hotel, a multi-storey car park,<br />
<strong>and</strong> a well-l<strong>and</strong>scaped park.<br />
A well-l<strong>and</strong>scaped park is designed for relaxation <strong>and</strong><br />
enjoyment <strong>of</strong> the vast views from the waterfront. The<br />
International Waterfront Centre has become a photographer’s<br />
dream for weddings <strong>and</strong> other photo shoots. It is also the new<br />
location <strong>of</strong> the Les Femmes du Chalet (Breakfast Shed), one<br />
<strong>of</strong> Port <strong>of</strong> Spain’s famous <strong>and</strong> culturally significant spots for<br />
local cuisine.<br />
94<br />
The <strong>Ins</strong> & <strong>Outs</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Trinidad</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Tobago</strong>