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Arts & Culture Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM


Impending Resurgence of Bain & Grants Town as a Cultural & Heritage Centre
By Janelle A. Albury, MDA Bahamas
Jul 29, 2015 - 12:36:14 PM

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Historic Bain & Grants Town.

Nassau, Bahamas - Twenty-seven minutes, that’s about the time it takes to fly from Nassau to Congo Town (Andros), or to complete a lap around the “new” Cable Beach Strip.  It is also the time it takes for a leisurely stroll from Brougham Street to Meeting Street, one of the oldest, most historically rich, but underexposed, communities in the country. 

Many Bahamians can trace their ancestry to the village of Bain & Grants Town.    The ‘navel string’ of individuals throughout The Bahamas can be found in this community and the homesteads of many well-known families still stand prominently in the area.  Today Bain & Grants Town, the heart of old Nassau, is used mostly as a short cut by Bahamians dashing through the area, never stopping to appreciate all that this forgotten gem has to offer. It would only take twenty-seven minutes to uncover the many national treasures and relics waiting to be rediscovered in Bain & Grants Town.  These buildings, which many pass daily, include tuck shops, churches, liquor stores and bars collectively holding more artefacts than all of the country’s public libraries and the Department of Archives combined.

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Current access linking downtown to the Bain & Grants Town community.

For persons like Leonard Sands, a Bain Town native, the economic potential for the area is unlimited. Sands explains, “Think of the possibilities of ‘Over the Hill’ tours developed for tourists. Visitors may start the tour with a bottle of water but by the end have enjoyed tamarind sauce and soursop ice cream.” He continued: - “There is no limit to the amount of history and character in Bain Town.”

Sands along with a number of history enthusiasts from different generations and diverse backgrounds have begun what will become arguably one of the greatest efforts to date to uncover and preserve Bahamian history.  Block by block, the group intends to identify key buildings, vacant lots and other areas of interest to be renovated, with the purpose of reawakening a sense of pride and purpose in the people of the Bain & Grants Town community. The aim of this group of visionaries goes beyond restoration but extends to achieving the loftier, more universal goal of healing and restoring the heart of this oft forgotten community. The group includes Mr. Michael Diggiss, Owner and Principal, Michael Diggiss and Associates (MDA) who will lend his design expertise to the Nassau Street transformation.

Mr. Diggiss explained, “I personally got excited about the idea of the redevelopment of Nassau Street, the possibilities for the transformation appeals to me on many levels.  I think the Nassau Street gateway should begin at the intersection of Bay Street and Nassau Street, creating an area of significance to the urban landscape.”  Mr. Diggiss also proposes the establishment of a bridge to act as a pedestrian link to an entertainment pavilion, which can be incorporated into the overall redevelopment of the water’s  edge of Bay Street (historic Downtown Nassau).

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Michael Diggiss & Associates’ (MDA) proposed design for the Nassau Street gateway.

“Often persons view these neighbourhoods as lacking in many areas, but the residents know that they have something many neighbourhoods do not, a sense of community,” Sands stated.  “These people, my people, value their community and are proud to live in Bain & Grants Town.  Our goal is to rediscover the time before walls and fences and private dining rooms were the order of the day.”  Sands longs to revive the Bain & Grants Town of his childhood, of open porches, greetings before dawn, the days when his neighbourhood stood as the heritage and cultural centre of New Providence.  With the help of a few neighbours and corporate stakeholders his dream may very soon become a reality.
 
We welcome input and ideas from others who wish to participate in the transformation of Bain Town into a vibrant community for the benefit of The Bahamas.



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