Restoring the Commissioner's House

Commissioner’s House makes an imposing sight at the entrance to the Maritime Museum.

THE COMMISSIONER S HOUSE WILL BECOME THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE MUSEUM AND will be used for modern purposes, including exhibitions and business meetings. It is not intended to restore the building merely to display how the Commissioners lived, but to turn the facility into a working museum with a place in today’s community.

The two lower floors will contain exhibits on maritime subjects, including rooms on the history at Bermuda of the Royal Navy (the "Malabar Room") and the association of American and Canadian forces with the Island. Some of these exhibits, such as the "Malabar Room," will be permanent fixtures, while most of the others will be changed from time to time.

The upper floor and the reception rooms on the main floor will be arranged so that the building can be used for special gatherings, especially for small dinner parties. The Commissioner’s House is perhaps the most magnificent setting in Bermuda for such gatherings and interest in the site is very strong from hotels and international business, who are always seeking unique venues for special meetings.

In the last few years, much has been accomplished with donations raised by the Board of Trustees since 1988. The wreckage around and within the Commissioner’s House has been cleared away. The roof has been entirely reclad, making the building watertight for the first time in several decades. The iron wall-plate of the upper veranda was replaced as it had decayed away; the cast iron fascia attached to it was saved and put back, followed by a new veranda ceiling.

In the interior of the Commissioner’s House, electrical supply and plumbing have been installed. There will be a serving kitchen with new washrooms on the west side of the building. Many of the doors and windows have been repaired or replaced, along with a number of the floors.

A 19th Century watercolour of the Commissioner’s House, as seen from the Old Naval Dockyard. Below, an aerial photograph taken in 1994 shows the extent of the Dockyard surrounding the Commissioner’s House and the Bermuda Maritime Museum.

During her recent tour, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was shown several of the rooms which are almost completed. The tasks remaining to be completed will require $1.5 million. The ironwork of the veranda floor must be replaced and the railings returned on both levels. In the interior, a number of floors need work and some of the French and interior doors will have to be replicated. Most of the rooms are ready to receive plasterboard, followed by decoration.

This exciting and worthwhile project is thus approaching completion, when it will undoubtedly become the business and tourist gem of the west end of the Island, complementing the overall development of the historic Royal Naval Dockyard.

We look to you for the continued financial help that is essential for the task ahead.