Kingston’s millionaires’ corner – Intersection of Trafalgar, Hope and Waterloo roads

The intersection of Trafalgar, Hope and Waterloo roads was known as millionaires’ corner, with mansions located at the four corners towards the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. This intersection has been mentioned in several articles, but the emphasis has been on George Stiebel (1821-1896), first coloured millionaire, and his Devon House built in 1881. This replaced the old rectory house at Devon Pen.

The other mansions at this intersection were Louis Francis Verley’s Abbey Court, Daniel and Eugene Finzi’s ‘Reka Dom’, and Melrose Lodge, the original owner of which is still to be identified. They were as follows:

Abbey Court House – This was the great house of Abbey Court Pen which existed from before 1815. This property was bought by Louis Francis Verley (1817-1901) in about 1885. He was a planter and merchant. The Verley family was of French origin and may have come to Jamaica through Saint Domingue (Haiti). Although Verley owned other properties, he and family members made Abbey Court House their home. He also owned Quebec Lodge lands and, in 1891, collaborated with his neighbour, George Stiebel of Devon House, and others to finance the Great International Exhibition. Abbey Court House was for sale in 1934. The house was converted into a hotel in the 1940s. It was demolished in the 1960s to facilitate the construction of the apartment complex now on the site.

MILLIONAIRE HOUSES

‘Reka Dom’ House – This house, on the corner of Trafalgar and Hope Roads (21 Hope Road), was on land which was originally part of Winchester Park Pen, which was subdivided in the latter part of the 19th century and into the early 20th century. The property was acquired by Daniel and Eugene Finzi (father and son), who were liquor merchants and property owners. “Reka Dom” became their family residence. It was converted to a hotel in the 1930s by the family. In 1960, it was acquired by the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) and the house was eventually demolished to enable expansion of its facilities. Only the fence and gates of the ‘Reka Dom’ complex are left.

Melrose Lodge – This house was the residence of Melrose Pen at the corner of Waterloo and Hope roads, now the new Popeye’s, the Salvation Army HQ and the Nigerian High Commission. It is not clear, so far, who originally owned Melrose Pen. The Gleaner records that, in 1884, Melrose Lodge was rented by Edward Noel Walker (1842-1908), who was appointed colonial secretary in Jamaica in September 1883. Prior to that, he was assistant colonial secretary from 1877 and acting colonial secretary thereafter. The Britain-appointed colonial secretary was the head of the civil service in Jamaica. In 1890, the lodge was occupied by Supreme Court Justice A.W. Anderson. It was being renovated in1894 and for rent in 1908.

Interestingly, the photograph of the house, sourced from The National Library of Jamaica, gives the owner as Milholland but it is not dated. There was a John Fitzalan Milholland (1865-1931) who was a solicitor and partner in the Kingston law firm of Milholland, Ashenheim and Stone. He died in England where he had resided in later years.

Melrose Pen, with its lodge, was registered to Reginald Ernest Henriques Melhado in 1928. He had also acquired Devon House. By 1955, the property had changed ownership several times and was subdivided. The lodge must have been demolished thereafter. Melrose Lodge/Pen requires further research.

The residents at this intersection of Hope Road in the 1880s, at the time of Lady Lucinda Musgrave’s tenure in Jamaica (1877-1883), give further evidence of the dubious nature of the story which has become popular about the reason for the construction of Lady Musgrave Road, which was to bypass this intersection, as a black millionaire, George Stiebel, lived there at Devon House. We should endeavour to make fact trump fiction. Kierkegaard quote: “There are two ways to be fooled: one is to believe what isn’t true, and the other is to refuse to believe what is true”.

- Contributed by Marcia Thomas