Public Buildings East and West, King Street

Public Buildings East and West, situated on King Street in downtown Kingston and owned by the Commissioner of Lands, are classified as Historic Structures, Priority 1, under the Government/Public Buildings category. Constructed in 1910 (West) and 1912 (East) in the aftermath of the devastating 1907 Kingston earthquake, they were among the earliest structures in the city to use concrete rather than brick, based on the belief that concrete was more earthquake-resistant. Then-Governor Sir Sydney Olivier proposed their location as a civic square bounded by Barry, Tower, King, and Temple/Peters streets, intended to consolidate public departments previously scattered throughout the city. Public Building West opened in 1910 at a cost of about £31,500, initially housing the Island Treasury, Audit Office, Government Savings Bank, Post Office, and Collector General's Department, while Public Building East, completed in 1912 for £33,600 and built largely with Jamaican labour, originally accommodated the Supreme Court, Kingston Court, Police Department, Attorney-General's offices, and various other government functions. Today, Public Building East houses the Supreme Court along with specialized divisions such as the Gun Court and Revenue Court, while Public Building West houses/used to house the Court of Appeal, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Accountant General's Department, and the General Post Office.

Architecturally, both buildings are notable examples of Neoclassical design, featuring stately columns, a prolonged ground-floor arcade, and clean, geometric lines that reflect the style's emphasis on order and rationality. Contemporary observers, including writer H. G. DeLisser, praised King Street's earthquake-proof, commodious buildings and the shaded colonnades that lined the street. A defining feature of the buildings was the open civic square originally required in front of them by Governor Olivier, symbolizing the authority and dignity of government institutions, though this effect has since been diminished by security fencing installed around the buildings. Despite this alteration, Public Buildings East and West remain architecturally and historically significant, continuing to reflect the civic authority they were designed to project.