Current Watch Site
Nestled in the winding streets of Port-au-Prince’s Bois Verna neighborhood, just blocks away from the city’s overcrowded downtown, sit elegant, turn-of-the-century houses detailed with fretted wood and intricate latticework. These faded gems of Haitian architecture were nicknamed “gingerbread” houses by American tourists in the 1950s. This period and iconic style of Haitian architecture came to an end in 1925 when new timber frame construction was banned in the city to prevent fire.
The Gingerbread Houses reflect a time of prosperity and creativity during which Haiti was a vibrant part of the international community, hosting the Paris Exposition in 1900 and incorporating foreign influences into its indigenous art and architecture. The intricate patterns found in the fretwork of these houses are thought to be representative of the traditional vévé patterns traced on the floor to call the spirits to a vodou ceremony.
Political instability and economic strife have precluded substantive preservation programs in the country for some time, and many of the Gingerbread Houses have fallen into disrepair, including those that have been adapted for commercial uses. The Haitian Education & Leadership Program and the Association of Haitian Architects and Urbanists have proposed restoring a Gingerbread House to serve as a model and resource center for continued preservation efforts and training in the community.
UPDATE ON PORT-AU-PRINCE EARTHQUAKE
Conor Bohan, nominator of the site to the 2010 Watch, arrived in Haiti immediately after the January 12, 2010, earthquake and reports:
"The gingerbread houses of Bois Verna sustained significant damage in the earthquake. Some of the smaller houses were completely destroyed and many of the larger houses suffered serious structural damage including some that lost facades and walls. Luckily a few of these beautiful buildings seem to have escaped unscathed. If a preservation effort was important before January 12th, it is now essential, to conserve those precious few that are left standing." Learn more.
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