Neil Richards | King Street once dominated Kingston’s shopping scene

During Jamaica’s 20th century pre-Independence years, King Street was the scene where shopping was supreme.

It was destined that most of the land bordering the main street within the original city limits of Kingston would be used for the sale of refined merchandise. Exceptions to that dominant land-use expectation were sites designated for the parish church and public buildings.

The original city plan –designed with streets and lanes laid out alternately – enabled merchandise for sale to be conveniently delivered to King Street shops from Temple Lane and Peter’s Lane.

After the 1907 earthquake destroyed nearly all buildings south of ‘Parade’, it became possible to build sturdy King Street shops, using steel-reinforced concrete – a structural engineering system that was ‘developed’ only a few years before the start of the 20th century.

In the years towards the mid-20th century, businessmen with traditions in the clothing and ‘dry goods’ trade became major owners and operators of King Street shops.

After the Second World War of 1939-45, King Street commerce became energised in a setting with British and Canadian retail banks positioned ‘toe-to-toe’ with merchandise shops.

HIGH-PROFILE MERCHANTS

High-profile merchants of Kingston operated thriving King Street businesses at shops that sold merchandise especially for personal wear. Household names of notable King Street shops included Hanna’s, Issa’s, Nathan’s, and Bardowell’s. The English Shop, London Shop, and Roy Morin Limited sold classy British imports. La Parisienne and L. A. Henriques sold exquisite merchandise while Times Store and booksellers Justin McCarthy had general popularity.

Homelectrix was a dominant trader in household appliances, and the resilient F. W. Woolworth & Company still maintains a branch of its shops at 83 King Street.

During the heyday of King Street shopping, there was good access to that location by various modes of public transportation. Tram-cars had ceased operations in 1948, but a reliable intra-city bus service and access from the then rural bus terminus at Victoria Avenue and the railway terminus at Pechon Street facilitated ongoing good support of King Street shopping.

King Street began to suffer loss of rank as the apex location for shopping in Jamaica after the former horse-racing venue named Knutsford Park was subdivided in 1959 to create the New Kingston ‘promise land’ of great commerce. That scenario influenced a great ‘exodus’ of the headquarters of downtown Kingston businesses northwards, to the Trafalgar precinct of St Andrew.

FURTHER DRAINING

There was further draining of the vitality and viability of traditional King Street shopping when commercial entities called shopping plazas were popping up alongside southern Constant Spring Road during the 1960s and early 1970s. A shorter ‘commute’ to new shopping sites north of Hope Road was the ‘sure way’ to absorb the patronage of uptown residents of Havendale, Meadowbrook, and other then new subdivisions.

Although King Street has lost its crown and glory as the dominant scene for shopping, the loss of power by King Street should not diminish the importance that it should be a desirable destination.

Some former pristine structures with King Street addresses show inexcusable deterioration, but such dreadful flaws are not irreversible. Structures that are still in commercial use are fortunate to ‘rub shoulders’ with the Parish Church of Kingston and stately public buildings that contribute positively to the environmental character of King Street.

Citizens first and foremost, and civic authorities also, do have obligations and opportunities to contribute ingredients aimed at building new, robust respect for the former king of shopping destinations.

Neil Richards is an architect and town planner. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.