MACO Has Moved

MACO Magazine, published by Toute Bagai Publishing, has moved from its quaint two-storey office at 101 Tragarete Road , Port of Spain , to initiate a massive renovation plan.

The office will undergo dramatic renovations but one thing remains clear - that the original frame and style of the building remains. The building at 101 has a long history going back almost 100 years.

Built by Richard Clyde Sampson in 1926 for his wife Ursula Sampson as a wedding present, the building was made of mahogany and cedar, with the original fretwork and finishings still a part of the building today. Called ‘Ursula Villa', the house was known for its coral pink exterior with white trimmings throughout the area.

What is now a busy main street lined with corporate offices was then a quiet, upper-middle class neighbourhood. The building hearkens back to a world without the technology of today, where neighbours were a close-knit community, when life moved more slowly and there were more bicycles than cars on the roads.

The building was sold by Mrs. Sampson's daughter Alison Vaughn to Anthony Salloum, who let the building to Mark Perreira for the well-known 101 Art Gallery in 1991, using the address for its name. Toute Bagai Publishing bought the building in 2004, and moved out last year to allow for renovations to begin.

The building is still pink, but this coat covers layers of previous paint jobs which must be scraped off before repainting. The flooring and ceiling must be fixed and the internal structure must be strengthened and made to suit an office setting, while still adhering to the original frame and style. Mark Perreira, curator of the 101 Art Gallery which is now at the Art Society of Trinidad and Tobago (ASTT) Building in Federation park, agrees that the original look of the building, including its signature pink and white finish, must be kept.

Toute Bagai is now at the Media 21 office building on Maraval road, which is a brand new structure with all modern conveniences. A cheerful citrus green graces the main hallway, while the MACO office soothes with calming off-white walls and pale wooden flooring.

Toute Bagai Publishing and MACO Magazine have taken on this task with characteristic enthusiasm, eager to take part in this preservation of our architectural history – a true MACO endeavour.