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Ward Theatre

The massive white and blue theatre building north of the William Grant Park is definitely an eyecatcher. The neoclassical building is the third theater building standing on this place and was gifted to the city by rum magnate Colonel Charles J. Ward in 1912. The theatre is a national heritage site and has more than 800 seats with its interior hardly changed since its inauguration. However, not much else has been renovated either, and the building is in a quite bad condition. The population of downtown do not really have a relationship to the cultural side of this building whereas the richer inhabitants avoid the surroundings at nighttime.

outdoors

Website: wardtheatrefoundation.com (opens in a new tab)

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Listing from Wikivoyage: Kingston (Jamaica), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Updated 28 Sept 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.

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Ward Theatre
1,000 seats
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William Grant Park
Former parade ground with a colourful history. In 1694 a fortification was built on this place, with the guns aimed at the harbour. It was torn down in 1870 and the place was turned into a parade ground, named Victoria Park after the queen. A statue of Queen Victoria was placed here, in addition to a gallows. In 1977 the park got its current name, and the queen's statue was joined by statues of Alexander Bustamante and Norman Manley. In the end of the 1980s the parade grounds were remodelled into a park.
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Headquarter House
Hibbert House, Headquarter House
First built as a residence for Thomas Hibbert, a wealthy merchant and later the Speaker of the House of Assembly. The War Office of the West Indies Regiment bought the house in 1814, and it served as an army headquarters and residence for the commanding general. In 1872 it was sold to the colonial administration, whereafter the parliament functioned here until 1960 when it moved to the new Gordon House across the street. The Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT) office has been in the house since 1983, and visitors are welcome.
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Gordon House
The seat of the Jamaican upper and lower houses, parliament and legislature. This modest building was finished in 1960 and named after the national hero George William Gordon, elected as a member of the island administration in the mid-18th century. The building can be visited by prior appointment.