High Atop the Ducor

Speaking of the Ducor, I had long ago posted some renderings from the ill-fated, aborted attempt at resurrecting the Grand Dame of Monrovia Hotels, back when the Libyan Investment Authority was expected to take over the property and redevelop the complex. That the Ducor is still vacant is surely one of the more tangential footnotes of the Libyan Revolution.

I was recently at a government office in Monrovia which still, either through neglect or persevering optimism, still had some printed-out elevations and renderings of the revamped Ducor taped to the wall. Slightly faded, they nonetheless revealed the name of the Italian architecture firm responsible for the proposal.

I hadn't seen these images of the reborn rooftop restaurant before; they weren't included in the press pack that accompanied the media blitz of the original announcement, I suppose. Not only do I particularly like the drama of the exterior fly-over, but also the Ducor's rooftop terrace is, in a certain sense, already a destination for evening revelry: there are near-weekly sunset gatherings on the two-level rooftop of the Ducor; they've occurred more times than I can remember during my time in Monrovia.

Not sure when the old hotel will finally be refurbished, or what its fate will be. There was a very prominent rumor over the last few months that “Hilton was taking the Ducor” but I'm not convinced as there's not even the slightest official hint of that, I am not even certain that a major hotel brand like Hilton would even really be in the business of taking over a decrepit property, especially in a peripheral frontier market, more common nowadays would be for a hotel chain to agree to manage a hotel as one of the later steps in a project. I should note that there is already a Hilton in Liberia: The Hilton Garden Inn, at the airport in Liberia, Costa Rica.

Building of the Month: NASSCORP Multi-Purpose Complex

 ©Matthew Jones

Although the NASSCORP Building has been featured on the M2M Architectural Tour for many years, as it has been under construction since April 2009 (and thus almost as long as I have been going to Monrovia), it made the front pages this month as the technicolor behemoth was officially opened by President Sirleaf just two weeks ago, over five years after groundbreaking. Although construction does take a much slower pace in the developing world, it is still astonishing just how slow the progress can be.

 ©Matthew Jones

Not to repeat too heavily on what I've already written on the Architectural Tour about the landmark building, I just want to emphasize that this tremendous and unusual building has a warm spot in my heart for several reasons. Firstly, the architect, Sylvanus O'Connor, is someone I consider to be a personal friend, having worked with him professionally during my first stint in Liberia in 2008-2009, when the NASSCORP building had only just taken shape on the drawing boards of O'Connor's firm, AEP Consultants, which is located on Front Street in Monrovia.

An early computer rendering. 

Most of the major elements remained intact throughout construction.

Sylvanus is a talented and increasingly prolific designer. NASSCORP embodies much of what is prominent in O'Connor's singular style: the ebullience of its arrangements, and the flamboyance of its post-modern costuming. Like O'Connor's earlier landmark, the LBDI headquarters at 9th Street and Tubman Boulevard, the NASSCORP employs semi-classical elements but articulates a thoroughly contemporary form and finish.

Reposted from the excellent Liberian journalist blog Sengbeh.Wordpress.com from

his article about the dedication.

These gestures are only more pronounced in the NASSCORP, which is a larger building, much more prominently situated on one of Liberia's most important road crossings, ELWA Junction. It could only be unmissable if it was another standard commercial building seen thrown up in this city: hulking, heavy, and hardly windowed.  Instead, it literally glistens in a bold employment of multi-colored Alubond panels, which sparkle in a rainbow of fluorescence not unlike the oil-slicked puddles arrayed on the road out front. The effect is luminous, and a still-rare but increasingly-common option to present a shimmering, glass-covered façade more like a curtain-wall of an office tower than another darkened edifice of crude cement.

From the Nasscorp website

The candyland effect of all this color greatly softens the substantial dimensions of the structure, which is further assisted by three major formal gestures: a pair of bulbous round turrets, bridged by a soaring lobby space, which together form the tower section of the complex, and a concave curtain which connects to a thin, missile-like clock tower, all planted on a colonnaded base meeting the street, providing a transformationally urban front to what is, after all, one the country's primary traffic crossings.

Nasscorp Building in early construction, March 2010 ©Matthew Jones

This setting is a chief reason to celebrate the complex. Monrovia, stretched out over a ten-mile-long peninsula, suffers desperately from traffic congestion, as thousands of workers drive from the expansive eastern suburbs into the Central business district daily, at the western end of the Mesurado landmass. The ELWA section of Paynesville, already the gateway to Tubman Boulevard, would be a natural second commercial center for the metropolitan area. This building is the most significant step toward formally establishing that as a planning goal to date.

©Matthew Jones

Remarkable as the architecture is, its significance is not limited to the design. That a government agency raised the $11 million in project funds from its own reserves, and used almost exclusively Liberian firms, for a commercial project that aims to safeguard public pension funds, is itself remarkable.  Quoting from the remarks of NASSCORP director van Ballmoos during the dedication ceremony:

This edifice is symbolic not only because of the potential to generate revenue; not because of its attractiveness and picturesque appearance from any section of Paynesville; not only because it transforms the landscape of the city; not because of its magnificence or its towering façade over other businesses in the area, but because it signals another achievement in the reconstruction and development of the nation.

Regardless of the appeal of its appearance, few buildings have the visual, commercial, spatial, social, political, and patriotic impact of the NASSCORP building, and for those reasons, it deserves note, respect, and even acclaim.

Moved 2 Maputo

I've never been to Mozambique, but earlier this summer, both the title and the subject matter of this entry to The Economist's Baobab blog, titled 'Moving to Maputo" both hit home. The topic was the increasingly-common phenomenon in African capitals, where international-standard residential properties (those that ex-pats find suitable) sell or rent for prices comparable to apartments and houses in international cities in Europe and North America:

A thriving expat community has developed around the university, but few Mozambicans can afford to live there. Rents have increased dramatically over the past four years; purchase prices have doubled. 

“The most common type of property has three bedrooms and we are talking about $3,000 per month onwards,” says Gonçalo Marques, a local estate agent. “You can find properties in prime areas for $7,000 per month. For purchase prices you’ll find that the same property might be sold for about $500,000—sometimes more.” 

The arrival of migrants from rural areas and abroad has pushed up demand for housing. Attracted by strong economic growth and a common language, highly skilled Portuguese migrants have been increasingly flocking to their former colony over the past two years, as their own economy remains ensnared in the euro crisis. Registrations at the Portuguese consulate in Maputo rose by 25% in 2012, and the trend is expected to continue. 

The cost of living in Maputo has surprised some migrants. “I live in the centre of Maputo. The centre of town is not very big and the rents are so high,” says Ana Oliveira, who moved to Mozambique from Portugal three months ago. “You need to share the apartment with three or four people.” Landlords have started to demand that tenants pay six months’ rent, or more, up-front.Many have relocated to neighbouring Matola, where housing is cheaper. But now prices in Matola are rising, too. “A property that was on the rental market there two years ago for $1,500 a month might now be on the market for $2,500,” says Mr Marques. 

As new residential developments reach completion, the situation could change. The construction sector, having stagnated for decades, started to pick up two years ago. Encouraged by rising prices, developers have piled into the market. 

But while overall prices may be dragged down, the new developments are targeted exclusively at high-end buyers. “The number of people that are able to buy a property worth $500,000 is small,” says Rui Carrito, head of the Portuguese construction company Soares da Costa in Mozambique. 

“What you need is small, cheap houses for the people but you don’t see anything like that.”Buying a home is all the more tricky because the value of the property cannot be used as collateral for a loan. Interest rates for personal loans—when they are available—are around 20%. Until prices come down and ordinary people gain access to financing, most Mozambicans will continue to struggle to get a foot on the property ladder.

Foreigners settling in Monrovia in the last decade have experienced similar astronomical price points for apartments with security and reliable utilities, even as supply has expanded constantly (there have been at least 20 new multistory apartment buildings added to Mamba Point and Sinkor in the past year). About $1,500 per month per bedroom is pretty standard, depending on the number of hours of electricity available, and perhaps the age and condition of the building (even lavishly-featured multi-story structures that are only a few years old often show the wear of the extreme climate and shoddy construction).

Like Maputo and other cities, Monrovia has two completely different real-estate markets, with a high-end catering to wealthy foreigners who expect the closest possible semblance to their accommodations back in Washington, New York, or London, and a local housing profile for Liberian nationals, which ranges from newly-constructed homes for those with sources of income to the innumerable informal structures which house the majority of the city's people, from the city center to its expanding edges. I struggle to call this a "market," due to the ubiquitous quagmire of land ownership uncertainties, disputes and scandals, real estate purchases only happen at the suburban fringes of the capital. Hence, 'The Two Monrovias.'

Exasperating all of this, Monrovia suffers not only from the financial and judicial constraints of mortgage lending mentioned in reference to Maputo above, but also from a scarcity of land whose chain of ownership can be reliably verified. Finding a secure property to buy or lease is unusual for developers, squeezing supply and adding to costs. In my anecdotal observations, as prices for ex-pat style apartments and leases have skyrocketed in the last few years, some property disputes seem to have been solved, or at least, the owners have gotten their act together (whether simply returning to Liberia from abroad to facilitate the development of their property, or coming to an agreement in a family dispute to share revenue from a lease instead of endlessly arguing).

Monrovia remains a small market at the top end, with limited demand (which I don't see growing as the population of expatriates, and the presence of foreign NGOs and concession companies has stabilized), so it hasn't seen the prices of places like Lagos, Maputo, Accra or Luanda. I've long heard predictions of a price-crash when UNMIL leaves, I am not sure how much housing UNMIL or its personnel lease; and wonder if perhaps the rapidly-deteriorating earlier stock of multi-story structures will be priced for the secondary, local market instead of being upgraded again for ex-pats.

Relda Cinema, Gone

What remained of the theater seating was piled off to be sold as scrap metal.

I was surprised and saddened to be driving down Tubman Boulevard in Sinkor on Saturday, 10 December, and come upon a gaping heap of twisted metal and broken concrete where one of the city's most beloved landmarks, the Relda Cinema, had sat forlorn for so many years.

Once a hotspot for the city's young crowd, and only one of several movie houses in Monrovia, which made the city seem so ultramodern in the midcentury (The Rivoli Cinema still stands on Broad Street, for the time being), the Relda had stood neglected and underused in the post-conflict period. It seemed that occasionally the theater was used as a cinema or other event space-- to charge for the viewing of video projects or sporting events. Monrovia doesn't have cinemas any more, merely video clubs, and even the former film palaces have been re-appropriated for the somewhat less grand past time.

Several bits of history were lost here, even if there is nothing remarkable in the 21st century about the Relda's rusted old truss frame, which provided a column-free theatre space, it is noteworthy that such technology was carefully employed so many decades ago in Liberia. The city surely has few other remaining examples. Likewise gone are a stately tree that stood in the front lot, along with a gold-painted statue, apparently called the Lappa Lady, which was reportedly removed by the original owner before the heavy machines were brought in.

Most frustratingly, no one bothered to save the gorgeous, vintage R-E-L-D-A letters from the from the building, the zinc cubes were likely torn by the backhoe and crushed by the concrete coming down on top.

Relda in its glory days, 1979. Image via Liberia77.com

Why was they Relda torn down now? Reportedly for a multistory office, retail, and apartment complex, which is the recent or near-future makeover of about half the blocks facing Tubman Boulevard in Central Sinkor. With surety of title still woefully inept for much of Monrovia's real estate, and with the city continuing to enjoy a huge boom with the influx of foreign investment and their high-salaried, ex-pat packaged executives, Monrovia continues to experience a massive building wave, especially of high-rise, full-service apartment towers, much to the expense of its heritage and historic buildings.

The Qaddafi Connection

Many journalists (such as Al Jazeera correspondent's blog) and bloggers (such as Fred van der Kraaij's Liberia Past & Present) have recently reviewed the decades-long patronage of successive Liberian leaders by the recently-deceased Qaddafi, so it seems redundant to repeat that history here, except to reiterate that several of Monrovia's most prominent landmarks have at various times been the property or pet project of the Libyan dictator and his government.

This portfolio specifically includes the Pan-African Plaza, a name it can be imagined that Qaddafi chose himself. As an office tower, it manages to be both squat and soaring, and commands a prominent sightline at the terminus of Tubman Boulevard, opposite Monrovia City Hall. PAP, as its frequently called, was apparently constructed for a Libyan Corporation in 1982-83 as an office complex.

The tower currently houses UNMIL's headquarters, a situation which I can't decide whether  it is ironic, or not, but it is both heavily fortified and somewhat nicely appointed inside, including one of Liberia's few elevator banks and some nice material details in the circulation corridors.

The other grand dame of Libya's investment activity is the involvement in the refurbishment of the Ducor Hotel. I've discussed this before, but at this point it is presumed that the 2008 plan to have a Libyan Investment corporation take over the property for reopening is at best stalled and likely dead. As one of the monumental ruins of the Liberian Civil War, prominently perched at the highest point in the city and perhaps the ultimate symbol of Monrovia's lost grandeur and international importance, the Ducor's return continues to be highly anticipated.

Qaddafi's relationships with various Presidents and their administrations, from Doe to Taylor to Sirleaf, switch on and off so frequently that it is difficult to confirm exact details and Libyan involvement with these landmarks. Its not clear whether Libya retained ownership of Pan African Plaza from its inception, or whether it was seized when relations were cut-off, only to become involved again in better times, and whether the United Nations had to negotiate with Libya for its lease. Since only Liberians can own land, there is also the question of who owns title to the ground beneath both Pan-African Plaza and the Ducor Hotel, whether a private individual, the Liberian government, or perhaps a church.

Its also not clear what support Qaddafi might have given to realize the once-luxurious Hotel Africa and Unity Conference Center complex, which both stand today unimproved from the day that the conference ended.

Lastly, there is one more piece of Libyan property in the city that remains vacant: the Embassy. Although one of the earliest and most eye-wateringly moving moments of the recent revolution was the brave defecting of Libya's UN Ambassador, who replaced Qaddafi's green flag with the tricolor of the NTC on Libya's midtown NYC mission, the People's Bureau of the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (how redundant is that!) remains both Green Book-and-gold trimmed and seemingly vacant.

Presumably the new Libyan government will both abandon the ridiculous and redundant nomenclature of their foreign legations, and reopen these stations, but since the Sirleaf administration cut official ties with Qaddafi earlier this year, this block of 14th Street in Sinkor has been especially quiet.

Weah: Really Not A Soccer Player Anymore

If you thought that the second most important candidate in the race in this election was the biggest opposition party's presidential candidate, you would be mistaken.

Although the Vice Standard-Bearer of the Congress for Democratic Change ticket, Ambassador George Weah is this year's other superstar candidate, besides President Sirleaf. Its frankly highly alarming to listen to young people think they are electing Weah to the presidency when they are voting CDC.

This is the stately Weah manse, although its a bit under-renovated and surely not currently home to the global soccer-star-turned-presidential-candidate-turned-DeVry-University-graduate*-turned-vice-presidential-candidate. The hand-painted order on the gate, prohibiting football practice, was added just a few weeks ago, to which a Liberian colleague quipped, "Right: no football playing in there. Only politics!"

*NB: The originally-published version of this post stated that Amb. Weah attended an online college. While DeVry University is a substantially online, for-profit institute, Amb. Weah seems to have in fact enrolled at DeVry's Fort Lauderdale, Florida, majoring in Business. The post has been edited after publishing to reflect this information.

The Rainy Season

I arrived back in Monrovia during the final half of the rainy season, which is still considered to last through part of October, although most people report that the seasons aren't what the used to be, and say that the climate has definitely changed.

Rain falls in puddles on a footpath in Fiamah, Sinkor.

©2011 Moved2Monrovia.

It can rain famously hard here, as in other parts of the tropics, although Monrovia is supposedly the capital city with the highest average annual rainfall. There is a startling velocity to the precipitation, as if the rain was thrown down from the sky by force. This happens almost once a day during August and September, in the day or the night, but steadier showers and gentler drizzles can also last hours.

UN Drive at the Freeport, after a night of rain. ©2011 Moved2Monrovia.

The results are rather sudden floods, on the streets and in the communities. Planning for storm water mitigation, whether in road works or the private construction of housing, is limited or absent. Often times, especially in the informal communities and rapidly-expanding suburban fringes along the northern and eastern frontiers of the city, it seems like the first time families considered whether their house sat in a flood zone is as the rain is entering their house.

This flooding, in the town of Caldwell north of Monrovia,

was the result of a single night of rain,

and stood for several days before receding.

These homes were built near the banks of a creek

which flows into the Mesurado River.

This is just one extreme to Liberia's remarkably harsh, unforgiving climate, with the ferocious sun being its other half. On certain days, this city experiences both within a short period time, the heat of the vexing sun beating down on the damp rooftops and soaked yards.

Gloomy skies over the Freeport. ©2011 Moved2Monrovia.

But for most of what foreigners from northern continents consider the summer, the sun is hardly seen. The frequent downpours, and the days of low, thick clouds in between, make for a dreary effect, something that a northern visitor wouldn't normally anticipate. Its strange to experience a tropical city which is as gloomy as an English town.

Motorbike drivers huddle from the rain in front a large

generator exhaust vent expelling heat (and noxious fumes).

UN Drive, Mamba Point, August 2011 ©Moved2Monrovia

And while the humidity can be as relentless as the heat, the rainy season can also be breezy, and almost cool. In fact, the most pleasant mornings and evenings in Liberia are those rainy season days when it isn't raining, which isn't exactly a predicable season. But there are hours over these few months where it frequently seems more like Cape Cod than Cape Mesurado, even if Liberians are complaining that it is too cold, and wear winter jackets.

The Ducor Hotel Redesign to finally commence?

A recent allAfrica article about Qadafi pledging assistance to the Sirleaf administration in handling the inflow of refugees from neighboring Côte D'Ivoire mentioned that Qadafi (or however you prefer to spell his name) also stated his commitment to accelerating the refurbishment of Monrovia's Ducor Hotel. This, along with my last post on the photo artist JR, who installed one of his piece's at the bottom of the Ducor's empty swimming pool, reminded me that although I have talked about the Ducor a good deal, I don't think I have ever posted the 2009 series architectural renderings on the proposed revamp of the hotel. So here they are.

The old Ducor Hotel, which has been vacant for more than twenty years, has attracted a Libyan development concern, the Libyan-African Investment Company, which released these renderings in late 2009. However, the involvement of the Libyans has been in the press since 2008, along with occasional news about a series of meetings/confrontations with disgruntled local residents of the surrounding Rock Hill section of Snapper Hill, many of whom built fairly substantial dwellings around the complex. Although there has been occasional activity at the hulking hilltop structure, it remains basically unoccupied. As a friend of mine stated: "What is going on? The Libyans have been buying that thing for a while now!" I presume that the delicate issue of relocating or compensating the neighborhood has had a lot to do with it, not to mention the murky complications involving the property's status as part of the powerful Episcopal Church's assets.

But in writing this post, I came across this press release giving late February as a start date, and quoting the cost at US$65,000,000. This has processed its way through the Liberian and Diaspora press. Not to sound snarky, for I do hope the job begins soon, but I caution to consider the source.

The Hotel remains an incredible, haunted relic, although there are plenty of loiterers, and there is usually a very friendly UNMIL contingent guarding the site, who I think disallow squatting at this point. It is also one of the most popular pilgrimage sites for Liberia-based ex-pats, with the view from the deserted pool area being almost a stock I'm-in-Liberia photo.

The sleek, five-star interior renders of the refurbished hotel differ widely from their current post-apocalyptic condition, as well as the hotel's golden era under the Intercontinental brand. One of the highlights of a visit to the empty Ducor is the unfailing encounter with some of the old guys who worked in the hotel in its pre-1980 glory-- one of which has a dog-eared copy of the Intercontinental brochure.

For more images of the present and past eras, please check out the M2M architectural tour, and for more beautiful and professional photography of the Ducor in its current dilapidated state, I highly recommend my dear friend Glenna Gordon's Scarlett Lion site, where the Ducor has featured regularly as a prominent character is her fantastic work from her time in Monrovia. Be sure to watch the amazing film piece she made for PRI with Jason Margolis, in which they interview some of the former hotel employees.

In my ever-optimstic attitude, I hope that the Rock Hill residents are happy, the Libyans are ready to employ lots of locals in remaking what is truly a breathtaking spot for a hotel into a property that will once again be the pride of West Africa, and attract lots of people to visit Monrovia.

Note: Renderings were obtained via Liberian Observer, and remain copyright original owner. Second image from top is ©Glenna Gordon, reposted from Scarlett Lion. All other images are original to Moved 2 Monrovia, all rights reserved.

Liberian Land Commission Opening Ceremony

I was honored to be invited to attend the opening ceremony of the Liberian Land Commission today, just down the street. Its great that this is finally happening, and it was very interesting to learn about all the effort that went into its constitution and formation, and its tremendous scope of work. Its a daunting challenge to tackle this very complex and difficult issue, but it is encouraging to see such a talented team in place, and I have really high hopes that with international support, the new entity will be able to tackle some of the major land and property challenges in Liberia.

Historic Structure on Front Street, Gone

I was walking along Front Street today and happened upon this pile of rubble at the corner of Center Street, which was until very recently a house. I must have missed it being pulled down by a few days. I'd be curious to see how they did it, whether with a bulldozer or by hand, etc.

Its not particularly unusual to see buildings getting knocked down. There are a couple on Capital Bye-Pass that some guys have been working on recently.

But this one was, I thought, rather old, and perhaps even historic. I think there is a picture of this house in the Architecture Tour. I guess this is not surprising that it was knocked down, but sort of puts into focus that there is no Historic Preservation or other listed restrictions here. Not that World Monuments Fund or UNESCO has Monrovia's settler heritage in its sights (which is probably a hot-button issue, anyway). But, should it?

Fendell: University of Liberia Campus

At the invitation of an acquaintance, I was transported up to Fendell, which sort of the northeastern gateway of metropolitan Monrovia. The urban sprawl slackens a few miles after red light, but not long thereafter is the new Fendell Campus of the University of Liberia, being constructed by the Chinese. In size, scale, and simply in newness, it is quite a sight, and its not even finished yet.

Houses for Rent (not for ex-pats)

I'm helping my friend find a new place to move his family in the area at the end of my street. Its sort of embarrassing to admit, I've been here for about six months on and off and I've never ventured down into the community down by the river, a 5 minute walk away.

Here are a few shots of the selection in the immediate area, ranging from about $50 a month for one-bedroom, to $150 for a two bedroom with a bathroom inside (but no running water…)

I have to admit it was pretty incredible to walk four minutes from my air-conditioned apartment down to this little area, and see how differently my neighbors live.

Football at Spriggs Payne/Fish Market

I've written before about the great little public space at the end of the Spriggs-Payne runway, which is usually packed with people playing football.

Apparently, no action has taken place on Spriggs Payne's attempts to remove these people, and the place remains one of the few public recreation grounds in the city, albeit in flaunt of the law, to a certain extent.

My friend Paul Jones, who runs the fantastic Keta Sandlanders in Ghana, is in town, and so when we drove by here earlier and he spotted the action, he proposed coming back and being a spectator. We went this afternoon hung out for a while, watching some of the matches. It was pretty dry and dusty, but it was a great afternoon, and the football was pretty exciting.

Football Grounds at Spriggs Payne/Fish Market

This week, I read in the paper about the Airport Authority's effort to remove the squatters from the area and reclaim the land as their property. The next time I drove by, I saw this banner, stating roughly the same.

Its a difficult, complex situation. On the one hand, the Airport is right. Its their property, and it is really important to re-establish property rights as part of a proper, rule-of-law environment.

On the other hand, this dusty little spot is one of the few public recreation spots in the whole city, and it is very prominently situated along the main road into town (it is even mentioned in a New York Times article about Hilary Clinton's visit). I just wish that the place could remain as it is (and by that I mean have a significant investment to make it a true public park), rather than reverting to the domain of the airport authority, where it will likely not be as publicly used as it is in its current state.