Udecott gives Stollmeyer’s Castle $31M facelift

Restoration work on Stollmeyer’s Castle—one of the historic Magnificent Seven structures around the Queen’s Park Savannah—continued last week. To date, the project, which is under the Urban Development Corporation of T&T (Udecott), has cost approximately $31.1 million. Udecott officials said the expected total cost of the project is $48 million.

Stollmeyer’s Castle has been earmarked for use as a “protocol house” for visiting dignitaries. Officials say work should be completed by February 2013.They said 75 per cent of the structural repairs, renovations and construction work had been carried out on the main building. However, an additional building has been added to the castle and was 35 per cent complete.

Works that remain incomplete include plumbing, tiling, electrical, air conditioning and elevator installation, ceiling and floor finishes, painting and decoration. Udecott is also responsible for restoring Mille Fleurs, another Magnificent Seven building. In April, Citizens for Conservation and other concerned onlookers staged a peaceful protest by putting flowers at the gate of Mille Fleurs to urge the Government to do something about the dilapidation. Officials said the user brief for Mille Fleurs is being re-evaluated, and upon its completion, contractors will be publicly invited to tender.