|
The Supreme Court
While Belize's first Court House, a wooden structure, was built
in 1818, it was not until June 26, 1820 that the first sitting
of the Supreme Court was held. This rather drab wooden structure,
that housed the Supreme Court's first sitting, did not change
until 1880 when a beautiful wooden building was constructed.
This
Court House building, which was erected by Gustav Von Ohlafen,
was completely destroyed by a fire that occurred on August
17, 1918. During that fire, the Governor at the time, Hart
Bennett, was fatally injured while rendering his assistance
to put out the fire. The Governor was hit by a flagpole that
was cut down because it had caught fire. He died a few days
later.
The
present Supreme Court building, constructed of reinforced
concrete, was completed in 1926 at a cost of $300,000.00 and
was a model of the architecture of the previous building,
with slight modifications. It was built by the Jefferson Construction
Company, a firm that had its base in New Orleans. The company
had come to Belize to build the Paslow Building when it was
commissioned to build the Supreme Court building.
It
is this same construction company that built the Belize City
Swing Bridge in 1923 at a cost of $84,000.00. The bridge joined
the north side, which was known as the island of Fort George
at the time, to south side Belize City. The Jefferson Construction
Company was also responsible for the construction of the seawall
that is still in existence along the Fort George area.
|
