Jamaican consulate in New York moving to new address on March 11

THE JAMAICAN Consulate in New York, located in Manhattan, has announced that it will be moving to its new location on March 11.

The new address will be 300 East 42nd Street, at the intersection of 42nd Street and 2nd Avenue, a 237,000 square feet 18-storey full block office building just two blocks from Grand Central train station.

As a result, the consulate’s present location at 767 Third Avenue, at the corner of Third Ave and East 48th Street will be closed to the public from February 26 to March 8.

In a notice posted to its social media sites, the consulate said that all consular services to the public will be temporarily suspended during the period of closure. However, for people requiring emergency services, assistance will be available via email.

The move was originally planned for this month but a number of finishing touches are being done to the new location. The relocation will end some 20 years at its current location in Manhattan, New York to which it had moved in 1993.

The new location will provide much more space than exists at the current location, with the consulate slated to occupy two and a half floors in the building.

Consul General Alsion Wilson said that the new waiting room will be larger and the space will provide more comfort. Several enhanced security features are also expected to allow for the safety of the staff and visitors to the consulate offices. While she did not give details, The Gleaner understands that one of the security features will be bulletproof glass in the waiting area. Also moving to the new location will be JAMPRO and the American Foundation for The University of the West Indies.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness, on his last visit to New York, toured the space to see the progress. The relocation of the consulate has been a matter of discussion for some time but the necessary steps to facilitate this were only recently put in place. Consul General Wilson pointed out that costs at the present location had become prohibitive. The move by the consulate will follow that by Jamaica’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations which moved into its new location at the end of December. A spokesperson for the mission, described the move as smooth.