Preserve and restore beautiful architectural buildings
THE EDITOR: Last week Thursday I was on my way to transact some business at the CLICO head office on St Vincent Street. On entering the building from the Edward Street entrance, I noticed some activities were taking place in the car park. So I enquired from one of the workmen what was happening. I was informed that they were in the process of removing the stone wall, to replace it with glass. I am sixty years old; I have travelled the world, and have observed in Europe and many other countries, that stone wall buildings are preserved and restoration work is done with pride on the many buildings. Why should CLICO remove a perfectly solid stone wall, which is durable, and still beautiful, to replace it with glass? Would this not weaken the structure? Could not the stone wall have been cleaned? I personally admire both CLICO and the Treasury Building on St Vincent Street, they are strong, stately landmarks in the city. The Government in conjunction with the Architectural Association and other interest groups in the country, should set building guidelines for the preservation and restoration of such architectural work, as is done in many of the countries that I have visited. Could the Architectural Society of Trinidad and Tobago, shed some light on this matter, in order to prevent a situation like this from happening in the future? I await a response. I think our population needs to be educated in such matters, so that we all would have an appreciation, especially the youths who would be our future planners and developers. SHAHEED MOHAMMED
Westmoorings
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"Preserve and restore beautiful architectural buildings"