New Office Opened in Valletta
The team at VMY is proud to welcome clients to our brand-new office at number 52, Old Bakery Street in Valletta. The opening of a second office was the culmination of almost three years of hard work to convert what was initially a disused and derelict building into a modern and comfortable workspace.
Preserving traditional Maltese architecture
We bought the property in September 2015 from a lawyer who also intended to use it as an office but never actually used it as such. The building is located at the middle of a street where all the major law firms in Valletta are situated, so it seems quite appropriate that this gem should also be considered a desirable location for a legal practice.
Even before we acquired this place, it already had somewhat of a reputation as a landmark in the area because it’s the tallest building in Old Bakery Street. Unfortunately, the building was abandoned and left to deteriorate for many years, and it was in a very bad state when we found it. The last time the building was used was by the owners of a cigarette factory around 40 years ago; fast forward to the present day, and all the apertures were broken, there was no functioning plumbing system, and a load bearing wall that was holding seven storeys had to be demolished.
Because of the huge amount of work it took just to make this building safe and prepare it for the installation of modern amenities, we had to keep this project under wraps and delay our move there for a long time. Once the structure was sound again, we immediately set to work preserving the traditional Maltese architecture that was present, including the typical stone walls and stone arches.
In keeping with the aesthetics of our Rabat office, we married the traditional look with modern features in the Valletta building too. The latter has since been converted into a clean and bright marble-clad space with various French eclectic touches.
Former home of Malta’s national poet
But the most surprising fact about Number 52 is that it used to be the home of Malta’s national poet, Dun Karm Psaila. It also apparently used to be known as no. 51, before the door changed to the present number.
Right above the building door, there is a marble plaque unveiled in 1967 that commemorates the fact that Dun Karm resided there for 26 years and wrote his first poems in Maltese while living there. This is also mentioned in Dun Karm’s biography by Ġużè Cardona, which points out that the poet rented an apartment in the building and spent a lot of time in solitude away from his friends and family. It was during this time that he wrote several of his famed poems like Quddiem Xbieha tal-Madonna and Il-Musbieħ tal-Mużew.
A humble gem shining with new purpose
The opening of the Valletta office marks a new chapter in the growth of VMY’s notarial practice. When we first began operating from the Rabat office, our scope was similar to other small, village practices that focus primarily on serving the legal needs of the people living in the surrounding community.
As our team grew and our clients’ needs increased proportionally, we started taking seriously the option of expanding to a more central location. Our new office at no. 52, Old Bakery Street in Valletta is at the heart of the nation’s legal and financial hub, which gives us a privileged position that lets us manage our work and serve our clients more efficiently.
We will still operate from the Rabat office a few days a week, however we heartily encourage our clients spread across Malta to take advantage of our new central location and come see us in Valletta.
