Whitter Village 10 Years Later

NAME OF FEATURE | THE GLEANER | FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2020 3 a facility that caters to both Jamaicans and tourists, where everybody could come together. The idea was a village setting, where artisans and other people would come in and have pop-ups, on a regular basis. We wanted to have entertainment with reggae artistes on the bandstand,” she notes. The vision has to date not yet un- folded entirely according to plan, but Mrs Whitter says the intention is to get back on track with the full village concept after the COVID-19 pandemic. In the interim, much of the dream has unfolded according to plan, starting with the beauti- ful architecture created by one of Jamaica’s top architects, CliftonYap. “It’s a diverse kind of architecture, very Jamaican, modern but with Georgian accents. The fountain in centre of the courtyard and the functioning town clock create an epicentre than brings a great energy with the development,”theWhitter Group CEO notes. “At Whitter Village, there is en- tertainment, shopping, dining with class and a feeling of being secure in a family setting, where children can come out and play.” Among the occupants of the shopping centre, offering a di- verse shopping experience are: a Progressive Grocers supermarket with some 45,000 square feet of space, a pharmacy, Devon House IScream parlour, Treasure Hunt gaming, Pizza Hut and KFC fast food outlets, restaurants, duty-free shops, other gift shops, a paint shop, Payless Shoes Store, Western Union and Bill Express outlet, doctors’ of- fices and four automatic banking machines, American and Canadian consulates, and a Harley Davidson motoring shop. The 250,000-square-foot com- mercial development sits next to the Ironshore Golf and Country Club in which the Whitters had a stake, but which has since been sold for residential construction. The Ironshore lands were acquired by MrWhitter in June 1974 at a time when few people were investing in Jamaica and many were disposing of their assets and migrating. MrWhitter himself had migrated to the United Kingdom as a 17-year- old teenager after growing up in Spanish Town, St Catherine. In the UK, he made a name for himself as a noted entrepreneur and one of the first black men to have a major impact on the British soci- ety. He later returned to Jamaica and vigorously pursued his passion for land acquisition with a devel- opmental outlook. Whitter Village has been an outgrowth and product of that outlook and penchant for development. “Joe was a visionary with a gift and a purpose. It is as if he was able to see the future. Landholding was in his blood and property develop- ment is part of his history. He was very outspoken and straightfor- ward. He sealed deals by shaking hands. In business, our word is our integrity and we always stand by our word,” Angella Whitter says of the legacy of her late husband and business partner. WHITTER VILLAGE 10TH ANNIVERSARY GREETING JAMAICANS: Prime Minister Michael Manley talking with a group of Jamaicans at the reception given by Jamaica’s High Commissioner to Britain Dr Arthur Wint at the Jamaica High Commission on Wednesday, April 3, 1974, on the occasion of the UK publication of Mr Manley’s book ‘The Politics of Change’. From left are: Jimmy Byfield, chairman, South London branch of the Association of Jamaicans; Courtney Laws, warden, Brixton Neighbourhood Association; Mr Manley, Eric McAlpine and Joe Whitter. Gleaner photograph A young Joe Whitter