CITY Hall hosted a media briefing yesterday to update the general public on the Georgetown Restoration Project.

In attendance were Mayor Hamilton Green, Deputy Mayor Patricia Chase-Green and the two foreign architects, Mr. Ihosvanu De Ola Morales and Mr. Nigel Renwick of TVA Architecture and Design Company in Grenada.
The latter two were assigned to the programme, among others, including other councillors.
Morales and Renwick both expressed their joy at being in Guyana for the first time and concurred that City Hall is, indeed, a wonderful piece of ancient architecture and promised to put their hearts and will into restoring it to its former glory.
The initiative for the visit of the architects, however, was that of Mr. Berkeley Wickham, a former Assistant City Engineer.
According to Mr. Green, restoring the ancient structure is at the instance of the Mayor & City Council (M&CC), after various mishaps of windows and boards falling out and, more recently, sparks from the electrical connections in and about the building.
Green acknowledged the presence of the experts, as well as persons who came on board to support the effort that is deemed very important.
He said, “We cannot afford to lose another treasure as it is one of the most historical buildings in Guyana.”
Green said meetings were held with the Private and Public Sector Commissions and it was agreed to advance the work and invite other stakeholders to be involved.
The visit of the guests was funded by an unnamed entity, he said.
The nineteenth century Gothic edifice, located at the junction of Regent Street and Avenue of the Republic, was designed by architect Reverend Ignatius Scoles in the year 1887 and completed in June 1889.
It houses the offices of the Mayor and Town Clerk, the Council Chamber and Concert Auditorium.