The National Museum Board is set to visit the historic site.

Building and museum professionals say that the ongoing restoration at the National Museum should ensure preservation of the historic complex into the foreseeable future. The works remain on schedule for a “soft” opening in November, after two years of planning and restoration post-2004 impact by Hurricane Ivan.

“The Museum should now last for another 100 years,” said entrepreneur Linton Tibbetts, himself a Trustee of the Cayman Islands Museum as well as founder of the Little Cayman Museum.

Mr Tibbetts, along with members of the CINM board, visited the works site recently. He commented then that he was particularly pleased about the attention paid to retaining the style and authenticity of the original buildings while also working to preserve the complex into the foreseeable future.

“It has been a pleasant surprise. I did not realize that the works (were being undertaken to) this magnitude,” said Mr Tibbetts, who has had a long and distinguished career as an entrepreneur, as a building construction retailer and hotelier.

Insiders at the Museum are understandably pleased. Said Facilities Committee Chair Caymanian architect Omar McLean about the blend of historic preservation and modern building compliance:

“Much has been done to keep the building looking like it did in its early years,” but, he added, there was no sparing of modern amenities to ensure that the building would stand up to today’s and future demands.

“Steel columns and beams, timber rafters and studs, metal straps, and concrete walls were all added to make the structure strong but at the same time every effort has been made to take advantage of natural, external light source, getting rid of some of the darker aspects of pre-Ivan CINM. And in this process, Mr McLean said, “All requirements to meet today’s building code have been implemented.”
Building contractor Gordon McLaughlin, whose company was selected for the project, explained that the scope of the project inevitably widened following the start of the works last April.

“Once we started to gut the building and we brought in structural engineers,” he said, it soon became obvious that it made sense to take the opportunity to strengthen the building. “And the scope of work obviously changed dramatically when we decided to do that.”

So the outcome does not entirely dovetail with planners’ original vision – rather, the outcome has exceeded the scope of that early vision.

Elaborating, architect McLean said:

“My vision at the start of the project was much different than it is now – as the contractor started ripping the building to remove mould it became clear that only the superstructure would be of use – and added to that it was discovered that the building was of even greater historical importance than was first believed. The upshot is that the Museum consequently decided to do a historical restoration,” he explained, adding:

“I give management all the credit for this decision and its outcome.”

Fortuitously, contractor McLaughlin, the Chair of the first Museum Facilities Committee spearheading the original restoration of the trio of buildings back in the 1990s, was as committed to the preservation of this historic building as everyone else involved.

“So the restoration works has been in excellent hands,” said Board Chair Harris McCoy, who, along with Museum Director Anita Ebanks, and Deputy Directors Debra Barnes-Tabora and Doss Solomon, conducted Board Members on their tour.

The tour offered a chance to update the board on plans for November’s soft opening that will afford the public opportunity to view firsthand the outcome of the restoration effort. People will also be able to visit the Museum gift shop by then operating on site. The grand opening will take place in early 2009.

The centrepiece of November’s soft opening will be the story of this authentically preserved Caymanian historic building. Members of the public will learn about its many uses, the restoration process, and the efforts to preserve the building’s original style and materials.

Specifically, visitors will see the exposed “ironwood” and the original daub (limestone plaster), which have been restored with careful attention to maintaining their natural appearance; original upper story windows have been preserved; and the unique stone work and earliest colour choice, flooring and external wall cladding are being conserved. Significant changes that they will see are raised ceilings, offering a larger feel to the rooms, and support columns that have been reinforced to assure the safety of the building – particularly with regard to possible future hurricane strikes. They will also learn about back-room arrangements for modern audio/visual support facilities.

Visitors will also be able to see the archeological work in process in the old gaol, which formerly housed the gift shop, and which will re-enter the stage as its former itself.

The gift shop, returning home to the Museum from its current Panton House location, will be re-housed in what was the Islands’ first post office. The themed gift shop will be modelled on the Islands’ early general stores.

And with this end in sight, Board Chair Harris McCoy wanted in particular to express his appreciation to the Museum’s number one benefactor – the Government – as well as to the Museum Board and the many others who have contributed in ways small and large. “To all those who so obviously appreciate and love the Museum and want to see it go forward I must again convey deepest gratitude. This simply would not have happened without their support and confidence.”

He is confident that the finished Museum will rise to expectations. “I can assure all that they will find the new and improved Museum every bit as exciting and innovative as the treasured institution that had become part of the fabric of the community and in which we all felt so much pride,” he said, adding that the Museum staff and he are looking forward to welcoming the public back for the site opening that is now just seven months away.