Grande Dame of Cayman architecture

Not only is Grand Old House one of the finest restaurants in Cayman, it is also one of the greatest examples of historic architecture.

Dating back to early last century, the charming building has stood strong and proud through more than 100 years of dramatic social changes and violent storms.

Now owned by a consortium of businessmen who prefer to keep a low profile, Grand Old House has retained a large number of its original features and is furnished with many period pieces.

Manager Lazlo Boros is proud that the house continues to exude the elegant ambience of yesteryear while offering a modern-day experience to diners.

“Although there have been additions to the house over the years, much of it remains the same,” he says. “The house, with its beautiful chandeliers, and the original architecture, definitely retains its old charm in the main dining room, English room and wine room.”

Perhaps the reason that the building has remained standing for so long is that the foundations were fashioned from locally grown ironwood, one of the hardest woods in the world and a traditional building material in Cayman.

It is generally accepted in Cayman that the house was built as a stately Caribbean great house circa 1908 by the Lambert family of Boston, Massachusetts.

However it should be noted that Mr. Lambert purchased considerable properties and businesses from local merchant Captain William H. Law.

At that time, the property on South Church Street was known as Petra Plantation, thought to be inspired by the Biblical city which was a place of refuge.

Coconuts and bananas were grown on the plantation where Mr. Lambert lived with his wife Louise and their only child Helen.

However, the family relocated to Jamaica, leaving Petra without an owner after the last of the family passed away.

A great philanthropist, Helen left provision in her will to found George Town’s hospital in the 1920s.

Housekeeper Olive Hinds was allowed to remain in the house but under the terms of the will, neither the government nor the church could accept the house as a donation as was intended by the Lamberts.

Strict moral and social stipulations of that era, including race, temperance and co-habitation, prohibited such a solution.

After a search failed to find any kin to claim the property, it eventually passed into Miss Hinds’ legal ownership.

During her tenure, the house became a refuge for young children before it eventually became too much for her to manage on her own.

After being rented to a pilot whose wife operated a hair salon in one of the rooms, the house was sold in the 1960s to Colonel Pirnie from Boston who was a founder of the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman.

Then in 1969, American couple Bob and Jean Brenton bought the property and turned it into a restaurant at a time when the road along South Sound was little more than a sand path.

“It was such a beautiful old house that we fell in love with it,” recalls Mrs Brenton who, now widowed, lives next door in a small cottage.

“It was just what we were looking for. We restored it to its former glory and decided to rename it Grand Old House because we thought it was pretty grand.”

The Brentons drew on the house’s history and worked hard to recreate its gracious atmosphere.

“We used kerosene lamps and even went as far as having the girls serve at the tables without any shoes on,” says Jean.

“We were the only restaurant at that time and everybody came to us so we were very fortunate.”

In 1979, Grand Old House again changed ownership before being sold once more in 1986 to a group of local investors headed by local businessman Naul Bodden, while television personality Chef Tell Erdhart from Germany managed the property.

In 1996, management was taken over by Martin Richter of Austria until this role was assumed last year by Mr. Boros.

Originally from Hungary, Mr. Boros had worked at Grand Old House for seven years and he runs the restaurant on behalf of the group of Caymanian entrepreneurs who have supported and maintained the property in its old form.

Nowadays, diners enter the property via the sweeping verandah typical of colonial-age great houses.

The original mahogany floors are polished until they are gleaming throughout, with guests having the option to eat in the elegant dining room or outside on a seaside terrace added in modern times.
There is also a private dining room for intimate occasions or meetings, which doubles as a climate-controlled wine cellar that retains much of the atmosphere of bygone times.

And there is a further option to have smaller dinner parties in the English room, which could also be referred to as a tea room.

The office staff are located upstairs in rooms renovated by the Brentons as living quarters, accessed by a tiny staircase and a hatch door.

Over the years, many important functions have been held at the restaurant.

As succeeding generations of Caymanians and visitors enjoy the property’s enduring hospitality and heritage, it seems fitting that Grand Old House remains a pivotal part of island life.

Not only is Grand Old House one of the finest restaurants in Cayman, it is also one of the greatest examples of historic architecture.

Dating back to early last century, the charming building has stood strong and proud through more than 100 years of dramatic social changes and violent storms.

Now owned by a consortium of businessmen who prefer to keep a low profile, Grand Old House has retained a large number of its original features and is furnished with many period pieces.

Manager Lazlo Boros is proud that the house continues to exude the elegant ambience of yesteryear while offering a modern-day experience to diners.

“Although there have been additions to the house over the years, much of it remains the same,” he says.

“The house, with its beautiful chandeliers, and the original architecture, definitely retains its old charm in the main dining room, English room and wine room.”

Perhaps the reason that the building has remained standing for so long is that the foundations were fashioned from locally grown ironwood, one of the hardest woods in the world and a traditional building material in Cayman.

It is generally accepted in Cayman that the house was built as a stately Caribbean great house circa 1908 by the Lambert family of Boston, Massachusetts.

However it should be noted that Mr. Lambert purchased considerable properties and businesses from local merchant Captain William H. Law.

At that time, the property on South Church Street was known as Petra Plantation, thought to be inspired by the Biblical city which was a place of refuge.

Coconuts and bananas were grown on the plantation where Mr. Lambert lived with his wife Louise and their only child Helen.

However, the family relocated to Jamaica, leaving Petra without an owner after the last of the family passed away.

A great philanthropist, Helen left provision in her will to found George Town’s hospital in the 1920s.

Housekeeper Olive Hinds was allowed to remain in the house but under the terms of the will, neither the government nor the church could accept the house as a donation as was intended by the Lamberts.

Strict moral and social stipulations of that era, including race, temperance and co-habitation, prohibited such a solution.

After a search failed to find any kin to claim the property, it eventually passed into Miss Hinds’ legal ownership.

During her tenure, the house became a refuge for young children before it eventually became too much for her to manage on her own.

After being rented to a pilot whose wife operated a hair salon in one of the rooms, the house was sold in the 1960s to Colonel Pirnie from Boston who was a founder of the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman.

Then in 1969, American couple Bob and Jean Brenton bought the property and turned it into a restaurant at a time when the road along South Sound was little more than a sand path.

“It was such a beautiful old house that we fell in love with it,” recalls Mrs Brenton who, now widowed, lives next door in a small cottage.

“It was just what we were looking for. We restored it to its former glory and decided to rename it Grand Old House because we thought it was pretty grand.”

The Brentons drew on the house’s history and worked hard to recreate its gracious atmosphere.

“We used kerosene lamps and even went as far as having the girls serve at the tables without any shoes on,” says Jean.

“We were the only restaurant at that time and everybody came to us so we were very fortunate.”

In 1979, Grand Old House again changed ownership before being sold once more in 1986 to a group of local investors headed by local businessman Naul Bodden, while television personality Chef Tell Erdhart from Germany managed the property.

In 1996, management was taken over by Martin Richter of Austria until this role was assumed last year by Mr. Boros.

Originally from Hungary, Mr. Boros had worked at Grand Old House for seven years and he runs the restaurant on behalf of the group of Caymanian entrepreneurs who have supported and maintained the property in its old form.

Nowadays, diners enter the property via the sweeping verandah typical of colonial-age great houses.

The original mahogany floors are polished until they are gleaming throughout, with guests having the option to eat in the elegant dining room or outside on a seaside terrace added in modern times.
There is also a private dining room for intimate occasions or meetings, which doubles as a climate-controlled wine cellar that retains much of the atmosphere of bygone times.

And there is a further option to have smaller dinner parties in the English room, which could also be referred to as a tea room.

The office staff are located upstairs in rooms renovated by the Brentons as living quarters, accessed by a tiny staircase and a hatch door.

Over the years, many important functions have been held at the restaurant.

As succeeding generations of Caymanians and visitors enjoy the property’s enduring hospitality and heritage, it seems fitting that Grand Old House remains a pivotal part of island life.

 

Grand-Old-Housesm

Stephen Clarke