The Gorin HouseRediscovering the Heart ofGeorge Town - a return to Piercy Square
The Gorin House
George Town is known to many as one of themost influential banking and finance centres in the world. Itcan boast multi-million dollar office blocks, connected by oneof the most sophisticated telecommunications systems known tohumanity.
Our capital, George Town, is largely characterised by grand columnsthat stretch up skyward and mirrored glass windows that reflectthe hubbub of busy corporate life. Suit-clad professionals scuttlehurriedly out from behind the anonymity of these impenetrablefacades and out into the blazing brightness of George Town's streets.
To observe life downtown is to see the cogs of corporate lifein motion. It is only when one catches sight of a man cyclingeffortlessly through the streets, balancing an overflowing boxof breadfruit on the crossbar of his rickety bicycle, that weare immediately reminded of the all-too-forgotten face of ourcapital city. The George Town whose heart was its people, theirhomes and their lives.
Grand Cayman's capital city is, in fact, one of the most historicallysignificant areas on the island. Hidden amongst the shops andoffice buildings, their integrity often compromised by the larger,urban complexes that have become synonymous with modern GeorgeTown, are sites and structures that date back to the eighteenthcentury.
These historical treasures tell the stories of early settlement,pioneer development and groundbreaking politics. These buildingslink us inextricably to our proud past and give us a glimpse ofwhat used to be. However, in order to feel a living connectionto our past, it is important to go beyond the four walls and returnto the real spirit of life in historic George Town: its neighbourhoods.
It is difficult, if not impossible, to pinpoint a satisfying definitionof the word 'neighbourhood'. One word suggests so many differentthings: an area that has distinguishing characteristics; the peoplethat live in that particular area; an approximate area or vicinity.And yet these are all strangely inadequate.
A neighbourhood is, surely, the 'spirit' of a place - it is asnebulous and variable as the communities of individuals who givelife to it. It seems paradoxical, then, to think that an eternallyadapting neighbourhood could ever vanish. Why not simply re-createitself?
Easy enough to say, but George Town's neighbourhoods have beenplaced under such enormous pressure from the rapid pace of developmentthat they have all but disappeared. And so, it is in this questfor a reconnection with our authentic past that we return to PiercySquare.
Piercy Square, located at the end of what is now called GoringAvenue, was born when Captain James Piercy and his wife Jessiesubdivided their large tract of land and gave parcels to theirfour children, each of whom built houses for their families.
Seaman, Uncle Harry, one of James and Jessie's sons, married SuzyThompson and in 1916 they built a charming, traditional Caymanian-stylecottage raised up off the ground with a large porch, intricatefretwork and a gabled roof which sloped down elegantly coveringthe entire house.
Miss Suzy is said to have had one of the most beautiful sand yardsin the area - Flowering plants adorned her well tended gardenand meticulously placed conch shells gleamed in the heat of themidday sun. A wonderful network of footpaths connected the Piercysto other family communities - the Diazes, Gorings and Andersons.And so, it is in this tableau of yesteryear that we capture thetrue spirit of historic George Town.
This is where sea-going men returned home to their families; thisis where kitchen dances cheered the spirit of a community; thisis where our ancestors dreamed a future for their islands, wheregenerations were entered in a family graveyard. Real neighbourhoods,real substance, real stories.
Fittingly, Uncle Harry Piercy's House has recently been givena new lease on life. After being renovated and lovingly restored,it is now serving as the Cayman Islands National Museum Officesunder its new name, Goring House. And so it is, that among theencroaching modern developments, lies hidden a treasure - a remnantof a community that fell victim to changing times and technologies.
By finding a new role for this old home, Cayman has been giventhe perfect example of how to protect the irreplaceable. Admittedly,the square may be empty and the heart of the neighbourhood subdued,but in this special house there remains a tangible, living connectionto our past.
Its presence reminds us all daily that, if we are to rediscoverthe heart of our communities, if our heritage is to survive, itmust be cared for collectively. Not to do so, would be to admitthat we have learned to get along without considering the humandimension to urban design; to admit that negating our historyand erasing our past is part of this process called 'progress'.
Ultimately, it comes down to a very simple question of values.Can we have both? Well, there is no way of going back rewinding,but we can move forward consciously, in honour of our past - thatwhich has made us what we are today. The decision is ours; theconsequence, our children's.