Jamaican Consulate in New York to get new address by February

The Jamaican Consulate in New York, located in Manhattan, will be moving to its new location by February, ending some 20 years at its current address.

The new address will be 300 East 42nd Street, at the intersection of 42nd Street and 2nd Avenue.

The space is currently being built out and is on schedule for the early February move.

Consul General Alsion Wilson told The Gleaner that leases for the new location have already been signed.

The new location will provide much more space than exists at the current location.

Wilson said the waiting room will be larger and the new facility will provide a more comfortable space for both staff and customers at the consulate.

The consulate will occupy two and a half floors in the building.

There will be several enhanced security features at the location to allow for the safety and security of the staff and visitors to the consulate offices, according to the consul general.

While she did provide details about the enhanced security features, The Gleaner understands that one measure to make the staff more secure will be bulletproof glass in the waiting area.

The consulate, the offices of the Jamaican mission to the United Nations, JAMPRO and the American Foundation for The University of the West Indies, will all be housed at the new location.

While a firm move date in February has not yet been agreed on, Wilson told The Gleaner she expects to be operating from the new location in February next year.

“My hope was that it would have been later this year, but it depends on the contractors and how quickly they can get the space built out,” she said.

The address, 300 East 42nd Street, is a 237,000 square-foot 18-storey full block office building just two blocks from Grand Central train station.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness, during a recent visit to New York, toured the space at the new location to see for himself the progress being made.

The relocation of the consulate has been a matter of discussion for some time but the necessary steps to facilitate the move were only recently put in place.

Wilson said the new location would be larger, affording better comfort for visitors to the consulate. It will also provide easier accessibility as it will be closer to Grand Central.

The consulate moved to its present location in 1993.

Wilson noted that costs at the current location had become prohibitive.

“The new location will provide cost savings as well as afford better accommodations,” she told The Gleaner.