3,317 Days After the Fire: A Caribbean University Opens a 2,600-Seat Auditorium

• The University of the Southern Caribbean’s auditorium burned down in 2012
• The new building was dedicated on 21 July 2021, 3,317 days later
• The top floor is a 2,600-seat auditorium
• The ground floor houses the School of Nursing and Allied Health

An Adventist university in Trinidad has dedicated a new auditorium nine years after fire destroyed the old one, Inter-American Division News reported in July 2021.

The University of the Southern Caribbean in the Maracas Valley lost its auditorium to fire in 2012. The replacement was dedicated in a virtual ceremony on 21 July 2021, 3,317 days after the fire. The two-floor building has a 2,600-seat auditorium on the top floor, equipped to host conferences, concerts and student and community activities. The ground floor houses the School of Nursing and Allied Health, with classrooms, laboratories and offices.

The work was funded through a “Rebuilding from the Ashes” campaign launched by then-president Dr Clinton Valley and continued under Dr Hilary Bowman. University and church leaders thanked the many benefactors who had given over the years, although the article did not give the cost.

Pastor Kern Tobias, president of the Caribbean Union Conference and chair of the university board, said the focus was “God himself who provided the means to get the job done”.

Combining a large auditorium with teaching space is a practical design choice. The nursing school uses the building daily, while the auditorium can earn income from conferences and events, helping to justify the investment.

Jamaican churches and church schools planning halls should think about the same mix. A building used only on special occasions is expensive to keep; one that houses classes, clinics or offices by day and events by night works harder. Long campaigns also need steady reporting to donors, so they can see progress over the years it may take.

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