The House On The Hill - Buena Vista, Governor's Harbour Eleuthera

Early Days: Buena Vista as it looked originally.

As you approach the welcoming front entrance to Buena Vista, it's the two royal palms guarding the front that catches your attention.  Actually, what you perceive as the entrance to this wonderful colonial house is an addition done to a classic Hall-and-Parlour House.  Built in the mid-1700's, the original house faced the harbour, not the water tank at the top of Haynes Avenue, which runs from the causeway connecting Cupid's Cay to the top of the hill.
The present owners, Bob and Kathy Colman, arrived in Governor's Harbour from England four years ago and bought, researched, and restored their heritage home. The couple, he an architectural designer and she an interior designer, had discovered the bones of Buena Vista.  Bob studied the original design by looking into the details of the building's construction and believed it to be of the "I" type of the Hall-and-Parlor, built throughout Britain and the United States from 1620 until the late eighteen hundreds.

The top photo shows the original front of Buena Vista, which overlooks the entire harbour, the cay and a horizon of Caribbean blue. Built In 1750, or there about, according to Bob, you can see how this house was built in the "I" plan, which has only two rooms on the main floor and 2 bedrooms upstairs.  Imagine the view two hundred and fifty years ago, he continued, as he looks out the upper floor window of his home office. With this hilltop location, quality of construction, the fine details and the wide planks of Andros pine, he believes the house was built by one of the early governors of Eleuthera.  Governor's Harbour and Cupid's Cay was the inaugural capital of the Bahamas, and where the first parliament was held in 1736.

The condition of the house, when they bought it was less than livable - all four corners were sunk, with almost nine inches difference along the sagging decks. It was residence to a variety of animal life including a 10" crab living under the kitchen sink and termite mounds throughout.  They lived in the small guesthouse and when Audley Meadows, a local contractor and restoration carpenter, jacked up the house, they began the yearlong re-construction and restoration.  They remodelled the guesthouse at the same time.

Inside, Kathy Colman brought Buena Vista into the 21st century. The front entrance hallway has a powder room tucked under the stairs, and leads to the kitchen.  Off to the right, is the airy, white livingroom which Kathy cleverly mixes traditional lines with contemporary style.

To the left of the entrance hallway, Kathy used the warmth of the natural finish on the dining room chairs to anchor the glass and maple dining room table.  There is a deep red antique Chinese armoire opposite the windows, a glass sideboard and two additional "campaign" leather chairs.  The gourmet kitchen, which was the original hall, can also be reached through the dining room, (the original parlor) and has a centre island, stainless steel appliances, beech cabinets and white walls and ceiling.  Upstairs, four rooms now dominate - the master with it's private bath and lounge area; a home office; guest room with an ensuite and a small workroom.

The list of previous owners reads as though it's the who's who of the Bahamas.  Kathy salvaged a piece of floorboard with the classic copperplate autograph of Lady Harold Christie.

The first occupant of the house is thought to be Mr. James Griffin.  It was later occupied by the out island engineer and his wife, then Buena Vista sat empty for many years.  Mrs. Joy Pyfrom, who arrived in Governor's Harbour in 1947, said that it had been neglected for years and that they used the house for murder mystery parties.  The Christies bought it in 1952, and Virginia Christie, an interior designer, commenced it's refurbishing.   Several years later, Mr. Tom Burns purchased the house, and during the next few decades, three or four other owners came and went.  In 1986 Mary Smith purchased the house.  When the Colmans purchased the three acres, small guesthouse, (where Mary lived) and Buena Vista in 2004, it was as though the house itself sighed in relief.

By Missy Kennedy Adams