The only family visiting Trinidad’s decaying historic Jaffa Opera House in the last year consisted of raccoons, recently relocated as roof repairs now deny their entry. That's according to discussion during a recent Trinidad City Council meeting.
The former opera house turned office block turned vacant building has sat unused for the last 20 years. In January 2024, the city began issuing citations.
A recent survey said the northwest corner of the building is failing. A wooden walkway that has protected the public for nearly 12 years from a tripping hazard along the connected sidewalk is now also blocked off as a danger. And those are just a few of the issues.
Trinidad city council members sought an update and expressed concern about the condemned building.
“We have lost a lot of historic buildings and I think it's sad and really they are irreplaceable. But irreplaceable does not mean (it should become a) hazard (to) the community at large,” said Councilmember Aaron Williamson. “I'm not an engineer, however, it doesn't take an engineer to look at that building to understand that there's significant risk being posed to our city every day.”
In November, the non-profit Jaffa Opera House Foundation took over ownership.
“The reason the Jaffa Opera House Foundation was established in November and the ownership of the property changed into the nonprofit was solely so we could go after a $1.9 million EPA Grant to handle all the interior remediation,” said Lisa Evans, a representative with the Foundation.
Progress stalled a bit since the death of preservationist Dana Crawford earlier this year. Crawford helped spearhead many preservation projects in Trinidad, including this building.
“But the foundation is actively looking for a development partner to take this project on,” said Evans. “Our strategy is if these grants come into play that will make it very attractive to a developer to take over and to realize Dana's vision.”
The Foundation has completed surveys for the needed repairs, as well as applied for grants and tax credits. It's also paid for some emergency repairs.
“Last fall we did complete a number of roof repairs to at least limit the amount of water and snow that was coming into the building,” said Evans.
The non-profit previously qualified for a loan from Trinidad Urban Renewal Authority (TURA) for $140,000.
But, the Foundation didn’t end up accepting the loan when it realized the repair costs would be much higher than initially expected.
The non-profit estimates that the total cost for Jaffa Opera House repairs will be closer to $13 million.
Plans for the space, should it be restored, include artist studios, shops and restaurants, along with educational spaces.
The group won’t know until later this summer if they'll receive the $5 million in grants. It expects to hear back about the EPA grant in May. It also is seeking the approval of an additional $8 million in tax credits in order to cover the repairs costs.
