In 1933, the wooden structure was replaced with a concrete structure. A ceremony was held to commemorate the laying of the foundation stones, where Garvey laid one of them. However, later on in the 1930s, the building was sold as the UNIA could not afford to maintain it due to the impact of the organization’s failed enterprises.
From 1939, well into the 1960s and 1970s, Liberty Hall was a major entertainment and sports centre. This was mainly due to its central location Downtown, Kingston. During the 1950s, it was one of several dancehall venues. Many clashes were hosted between competing sound systems like Clement “Coxsone” Dodd’s Downbeat, Duke Reid’s The Trojan, Tom the Great Sebastian and V-Rocket. In the 1970s, Liberty Hall housed a popular boxing gym that was host to several Caribbean professional boxers including Jamaica’s George ‘Bunny’ Grant and Lindel Wallace.
By the 1980s, after passing through several hands, the last private owner being Mr. James Porteous, a Kingston mechanic and businessman, the property was abandoned and left to deteriorate. The property was put up for sale in 1987 and the Government of Jamaica, led by the Most Honourable Edward Seaga, purchased the property to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Marcus Garvey. It was declared a national monument by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust on November 5, 1992 by reason of its historical significance.
