Friday, November 17, 2017
By MORGAN ADDERLEY
AN American visitor has taken 10 photos of the same crooked tree on Bay Street for the past 16 years and in doing so captured the modern history of the Nassau Straw Market.
Charles Levin, an attorney from Tampa, Florida, took his first photo of the striking tree in November 2001. Its trunk is curved so extremely that it resembles the trigger of a gun. In the 2001 photo, the tree's leaves are brown and sparse, and people are waiting under a nearby bus stop sign. However, the historical significance lies in the background, where a concrete wall with a yellow sign stands, directing onlookers to find the Straw Market.
This photo was taken two months after the September 2001 blaze that burnt the original Straw Market to the ground. The fire forced hundreds of vendors to seek refuge in a makeshift tent not far from the original site.
Mr Levin and his wife returned to The Bahamas in 2008, and photos from September and October of that year and January 2009 show that no new Straw Market building was built. However, the tree's branches are flourishing with life and a bench has been added to the bus stop.
Unfortunately, the January 2009 photo was taken a mere month before the 2009 Bay Street fire occurred. Over 40 Straw Market vendors were displaced from their stalls and the losses were estimated in the tens of thousands.
When the Levins returned in January 2010, the tree was still there but no new Straw Market had been built. However, in the background the makeshift wall erected to conceal its construction was painted in vibrant colours and designs reflecting the country's Junkanoo heritage. A leftover Christmas tree decoration is still affixed to the lamppost.
Finally, when the Levins returned in August 2013, behind the crooked tree stands the Straw Market. The current facility was officially opened in December 2011.
In his press release following the historic occasion, then-Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham described the inspiration behind the design of the structure. He said: "Our determination to restore the historic ambiance of old Nassau to our capital city influenced our decision to direct the architect involved in the design of the new market to seek inspiration from the architectural flavour of the building that housed originally the Fish, Vegetable and Straw Market located on the site up to 1974."
The Levins took four more photos of this site, in January and February 2014, and March and August 2017. In each, their beloved tree is flourishing, with branches laden with bright green leaves. In the background, the new Straw Market stands proud, bustling with tourists and Bahamians alike.