It's hard to miss when zooming by in cars, but tucked away into the side of the slope at #25 Cumberland Street of downtown Nassau in the midst of abandoned and dilapidated structures is the newly renovated Hillside House.
Once destroyed by fire and abandoned itself, the structure has been given new life by Bahamian artist Antonius Roberts as the Antonius Roberts studio and gallery space.
This space not only adds to the proliferation of art spaces in the area in the last few years but also holds a conversation with the recent downtown Nassau revitalization efforts by the Downtown Nassau Partnership (DNP) which recognizes the importance of preserving culture and heritage in urban development.
With that in mind, a patron of Antonius Roberts approached the artist with the proposition to purchase and give new life to the Hillside House as an art space. The proposition was of high importance to Roberts whose previous Post House studio and gallery space on Prospect Ridge was somewhat inconvenient. Two years later, the pair, as business partners, have been able to fulfill his dream of operating a space where art - as completed pieces and as works in progress - can be appreciated.
Yet on a road like Cumberland Street - which has historically been a place of lively social interaction as the main artery to The British Colonial (Hilton) - efforts are necessary to preserve the integrity and inherent beauty of its buildings.
"Being of the same mindset, we felt it would be important to restore this building to its original feeling, being mindful of the history that actually exists on Cumberland Street and the fact that Cumberland Street has always been a place where locals and visitors can both come and experience the opulence and lifestyle and architecure of The Bahamas in the 1800s," explained Roberts.
"In many conversations with Jackson Burnside when he was still with us, he insisted that we needed to do this right - we needed to be respectful of the architecture and we needed to be respectful of the history. Therefore it has taken us two years to get to this particular point."
Yet Roberts has extensive knowledge about the power of preservation and how it intersects with public
art - his sculptures are often crafted out of discarded wood which he repurposed into beautiful figures or useful benches, giving them new life.
By partnering with government institutions and the public sector, he has created sculpture gardens in places like Clifton Heritage Park and at the intersection of Blake Road and JFK Drive which has not only attracted the admiration of visitors but also Bahamians.
Such installations, like the efforts of the DNP, explains Roberts, serve to connect the public to their public spaces, fostering appreciation and respect for their surroundings as well as a sense of community.
Hillside House, he hopes, will function as this public art does - being open six days a week with an emphasis on the daytime hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. will make it quite accessible to both curious tourists passing by and Bahamians who may want to tuck into a bit of art and culture during their lunch break or weekend outings.
"This building is a sculpture. This is the artwork," said Roberts.
"We wanted people as they pass to be connected to the transformation of this space and in so doing will be drawn to this space, and being drawn to this space they're connecting to rich art and culture that is unique to The Bahamas.
"I speak about locals more so than tourists," he added. "I think we have to first create spaces for ourselves, we have to first love our spaces and clean up our front doors and our yards, thereby encouraging people to come into a wonderful space."
This two-year renovation that preserved much of the integrity of the historic architecture of Hillside House has come to this: a zen-like space just yards from a busy road where, if drivers turn their faces away for a brief moment may catch Roberts working on new sculptural creations under the palms - if he does not happen to be working inside this charming pink building instead.
Nevertheless, two bronze figures cast from his wooden sculpture creations welcome visitors into a quaint gallery space that lies at the intersection of past and present. It showcases, for now, work by Roberts himself, but will soon feature rotating exhibitions by local artists.
In fact, when the space holds its open house next month, on display will also be a collection of wood carvings of owls by Edroy Mackey.
This reclusive artist who lived in the area has essentially become the first artist-in-residence at Hillside House. Mackey was only one of the individuals who frequented the abandoned Hillside House and its surrounding structures when Roberts first began visiting the site for renovations.
"As opposed to chasing them away we thought it would be wonderful to, in the spirit of community, engage them in this whole process of transformation," said Roberts.
"We've been collecting a lot of Edroy's pieces to encourage him and to say to him, 'listen, we're not here to disturb you, we are here to actually add something to your life'," he continued.
"He's our first artist in residence. We met him here, we want him to stay here, and we want to encourage him to continue producing art in this space."
Such a spirit of community, explained Roberts, is what has driven the renovations and he hopes the space functions as just one of many in an urban area that is conscious of its important and rich cultural heritage.
"We're hoping to connect to other artists who like Edroy find some inspiration in this space and kind of want to congregate in this space," Roberts said.
"This all organic.
"Like Jackson Burnside said, let's be true to our history, let us be respectful of our environment, and let us just breathe life into a space so we can begin to tell our own stories. Then we can be engaged in the whole transformation of The Bahamas and we can be engaged in actually influencing the landscape. That's what this is all about."
The Antonius Roberts Studio and Gallery at Hillside House is located at #25 Cumberland Street. It will hold its first open house on February 11 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and will aim to be open to the public during these daytime hours for six days a week.

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