Both Sides of The Coin: The Story of The Central Bank of Barbados 1972-2017

76 FINDING A HOME Selecting the right location It was in August 1975 that the Board of Directors decided to acquire land to construct a permanent headquarters for the Bank. The conditions of the search were that the site should be close to the main offices of the commercial banks and be around 80,000 to 100,000 square feet (sq. ft.) Two properties, one at No. 139 Roebuck Street and the other at “Chepstow”, River Road, were identified as the most suitable locations and a decision was taken to seek an architectural appraisal of them. At the same time, the Bank considered acquiring a lot in Belleville to convert into a recreation ground for the staff. This purchase did not materialise because the owner was asking for a sum which the Bank considered to be well in excess of the property’s value. The firm of architects advising the Bank - Mervyn A. Awon, Chartered Architects Limited - recommended that “Chepstow” be removed from consideration and more details collected about the site at 139 Roebuck Street and a few others. By March of 1976, the search team, which by then included Peter McLaughlin Associates, had narrowed the choices to three and in September of that year, the Bank decided to purchase the property at Roebuck Street. In October, Prime Minister Tom Adams, approved the recommendation to buy the lot. The 65,100 sq. ft. property was owned by Government, and was bounded by Roebuck and Spry Streets, the Cathedral Square and Polgreen Alley. However,Government stipulated that a re-development plan for the Church Village area, which was adjacent to the site, should be formulated before any architectural plans would be approved. Aerial view of Church Village (at left) and St. Michael’s Cathedral (at right) on the day of Tom Adams’ funeral in 1985.