The ruin Euro – Bank Building in Central Monrovia
By Jonathan O. Grigsby, Snr. Contributor Writer
The Dilapidated Euro-Bank Building in Central Monrovia, located in the block of Broad, Johnson, Warren and Carey Streets, was one of the most attractive buildings in the capital in the 1980s.
That building, situated at the foot of Crown Hill,was covered with glass designs. Passersby and vehicles going up and down the streets could be seen in those glasses.
But the December 24, 1989 rebel incursion led by former, jailed President Charles Taylor, which ravaged the socio-economic fabric of Liberia, also caused the Euro-Bank building to be standing in ruins today.
This building was built during the reign of slain Liberian President, Samuel Kanyan Doe, and it has been over forty years since its construction. It would have been one of the finest structures in our nation today if the war had not come.
From 1989 up to heat of the civil war -1990 to 1995, the condition of the building was much better, but was massively damaged during the April 6, 1996 Monrovia fracas, between the jailed NPFL of Charles G. Taylor and ULIMO-K of the late Alhaji G.V. Kromah on the one hand, and ULIMO-J of the late General, Roosevelt Johnson, on the other hand.
From 1996 to 2026, it is now 30 years old and the structure still lies in ruins, which poses serious threat to residents in its immediate surroundings, and people commuting to Central Monrovia for work, businesses and other functions.
It is believed that the building was constructed by the Libyan Government, when Libya’s former President, Colonel Muammar Kaddafi, and former President Samuel Kanyon Doe were friends.
That old Euro-Bank and the One UN House, opposite the Monrovia City Hall, formerly known as the Pan African Plaza, according to reports were some of the Libyan Government’s undertakings in the country.
If that is true, and the Euro-Bank building is now in its worst condition, something needs to be done by the government to engage the individual, company or the government that constructed it.
It is then incumbent on our government to investigate the issue and either have the building reconstructed through negotiations or broken down because of security threats to residents in the area.
Euro-Bank building is no longer useful for banking purposes, as far as I am concerned, and is no longer adding any beauty to Monrovia. I think the Monrovia City Corporation (MCC), responsible for the City Administration, mainly for its beautification, needs to take a critical look at that dilapidated structure, as well as the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA).
Interestingly, with the serious security threat that building poses, the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) is currently operating on the ground floor of the building. What if that structure finally collapses?
Besides, there are people living on the upper floors, including children whose lives are seriously endangered. Their parents used old zincs and woods to barricade themselves and live in such a structure.
Moreover, there are leakages on those floors, mosquitoes and crawling creatures are frequently found in such deserted and unhealthy areas.
Those people risk their lives and that of their children only because they want to live in Monrovia, despite the numerous challenges they face being in that dilapidated structure, I believe.
But if that is the case, then the government has the right to protect and provide safety for them, which is one of the government’s key responsibilities.
Whenever I am in Central Monrovia, and take a look at the former Euro-Bank building, several questions come to mind such as: 1. Is the Libyan Government or the other entities still interested in the building, which they built?
2. With the level of damage done on the building, is it durable and still useful?
3. If it is durable, can it be renovated and be used for other purposes, rather than banking?
4. Or can that building be demolished through legal ramifications?
Failure of the Liberian Government to act on this structure poses future imminent damage.
About the author:
Mr. Jonathan O. Grigsby, Snr. is a member of the Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WAS) Reporters and Editors Network, holds a certificate in Professional Studies in Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA).
Contact: +231 7760 69170/ 231 8867 21782 or jogrigsby7@gmail.com
