40 Harbour Street

Historians believe that the site, together with the land next to it, may once have been a Taino fishing village. In modern times, the site has been occupied for over one hundred years. The first structure, a private house, was destroyed in the 1907 earthquake. The building which replaced it was used for industrial purposes and was acquired by the United Fruit Company in 1920 shortly after that company bought the adjacent Myrtle Bank Hotel. Both buildings were remodeled in the same style, with architectural flourishes typical of the period. The Myrtle Bank Hotel was to become one of the most famous hotels in the world until it was destroyed by fire in the 1960s.

The United Fruit Company made 40 Harbour Street its headquarters in Jamaica until the 1950s and eventually sold it to the Urban Development Corporation in 1971. It was later acquired from the Urban Development Corporation by the Kingston Restoration Company and purchased by the Jamaica Stock Exchange in 1995.

Since its acquisition by the Stock Exchange, the premises have undergone extensive renovation under the guidance of architect Raymond McIntyre of Apec Consultants. In converting it to a modern, functional home for the Exchange, the architect and his team have been successful in recapturing the elegance and ambiance of the age in which the building was first constructed.

40 Harbour Street was declared a national monument by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust on December 10, 1998.