Beyond the alley is the Bell Block, built in sections at different times but claiming 1883 because that was when the center building was completed and is still marked with that year. You will have to cross the street to appreciate all the fine stonework on the façade, especially in the intricate cornice. (There’s a walkway at the end of the block). Right now, however, walk into the atrium to see how imaginatively the buildings were redeveloped after they were gutted by fire in the 1970s. Read the signs about the building’s history, some of which is questionable, especially the statement that Main Street was six feet lower than now at the time of the building’s construction. That guess was probably based on the fact that the lower level of the building extends out under the sidewalk. It was common practice in Victorian times to have steps down from the sidewalk to lower-level shops. This was done in many places in Trinidad, as old photographs show. Almost all of them have now been covered by new sidewalks.
Note, in particular, the unusual circular radiator at the entrance of the atrium. It originally stood in a company-owned store in the coal camp of Tercio about 35 miles west of here. It was donated to the refurbished building by the CF & I Steel Corporation.