gingerbread houses

La Maison Dufort: Defining Haitian Architecture in Port-au-Prince

November 11, 2022 by Anton Lau

La Maison Dufort

In the quiet residential area of Bois-Verna in Port-au-Prince, you will find la Maison Dufort (the Dufort House), one of the jewels of the emblematic architectural style of Gingerbread houses in Haiti. It is a vestige of this architectural style that was especially popular around the turn of the century in Haiti – in cities such as Port-au-Prince, Jacmel, Cap-Haïtien, or Jérémie.

With their particular charm, these houses have managed to remarkably resist Haiti’s hot and humid tropical climate, not to mention numerous natural disasters over the years. Nowadays, they constitute an integral part of Haiti’s architectural heritage, and the Dufort House is undoubtedly one of the most curious examples of this classic and refined architecture.

The Dufort House: Over a century of History

The house is also in a quiet area of Port-au-Prince where art lovers of all kinds can meet to display their works, discuss art during a gallery opening, and admire the exhibitions that cover the walls of the charming house. Or you can simply enjoy a cold beer during a show or concert.

If you ever take a detour between 2nd and 3rd Avenues du Travail, it is unlikely you’ll resist the flowery façade, old wooden doors, pointed roofs, and magnificent balconies of the Dufort House. The arrangement of these architectural elements gives the structure an eclectic look that contrasts with the peaceful neighborhood of Bois-Verna. The Dufort House is a true architectural masterpiece and one of the most remarkable examples of this typically twentieth-century Haitian style.

Haitian architect Léon Mathon, one of the three main architects who would popularize this architectural style in Haiti, designed the house in 1910. Like most of the other Gingerbread houses built during this period, it was first used as a family residence, belonging to – none other than – the powerful Dufort family. The structure was then used as an office building until 2010, when the January 12 earthquake severely damaged it.

Buche Perico restaurant in Santo Domingo — Veranda area of La Maison Dufort
Photo: Franck Fontain

A walk through Maison Dufort

The Dufort House presents its visitors with an agreeable mix of opulence, elegance, class, and comfort. The building is nestled amidst a rustic setting that consists of a 1,200 square meter paved courtyard, a bougainvillea garden, and flowerbeds all around the house. Taken all together, it’s a serene setting where you can quickly forget the somewhat chaotic feeling of Port-au-Prince’s urban center.

The main entrance leads into a vestibule that connects to three other rooms. Opposite the vestibule is a magnificent wooden spiral staircase that leads to the second level. The second level’s high roof, beautiful casement windows, wooden floor, and balcony are all typical of Gingerbread architecture. These elements ensure that the rooms on the upper level maintain a pleasant ambient temperature, thanks to the constant breeze.

The Dufort House is of particular architectural interest, as it combines the two most distinctive features of Haitian Gingerbread architecture. While some buildings of this type are either entirely brick or entirely wood, the Dufort House elegantly combines these two varieties. The first level has a concrete and brick frame, but the second level is made entirely of wood, not to mention its wooden balcony, which is an unmistakable feature of these historic homes.

Le Musée Dufort

The Dufort House Museum is currently run by Fondasyon Konesans ak Libète (the FOKAL Foundation), which uses it as a museum for the various exhibitions it organizes with other partners, such as Centre d’Art (the Art Center). The Dufort House hosts major artistic and cultural events, including the Vives exhibition in January and February of 2022, and still presents other seasonal exhibitions or cultural activities.

In 2016, the house and museum were renovated with the support of FOKAL and WMF as part of a worksite dedicated to preserving the architectural heritage of Gingerbread houses in Haiti. It has been operational and open to the public since.

Today, the House and Museum are Port-au-Prince’s true refuge for art enthusiasts. Just finding oneself inside its timeless setting makes the trip well worth it. The structure is a work of art itself, and the exhibits will make you want to visit time and again.

How to visit

The Dufort House and Museum are located at number 9 on the 2nd Rue du Travail, in Port-au-Prince, right down the street from Saint Adres medical institute, between the 1st Rue du Travail and Rue Vilmenay. The fastest route is from Champs-de-Mars via Avenue Charles Sumner, which then forks into the Second Avenue du Travail. Hiring a taxi would be most ideal.

Written by Costaguinov Baptiste.

Published November 2020.

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Explore Haiti’s History & Heritage

The Cordasco House (Villa Miramar)

December 4, 2021 by Anton Lau

exterior view of old gothic gingerbread mansion with balcony and green trees — The Cordasco House (Villa Miramar) in Pacot
Photo: Lëa-Kim Châteauneuf / Wikimedia Commons

The Cordasco House (Villa Miramar)

The Cordasco House is one of Haiti’s most iconic gothic gingerbread mansions. The House has been closed to the public since the 90s, but Visit Haiti was able to take a sneak peek inside. Take a look at our exclusive virtual tour of this national treasure.

First impressions

If you drive into Port-au-Prince from the south-east (maybe after a weekend in Jacmel) you can’t miss the charismatic Cordasco House. At a fork in the road where you turn right to continue into PAP proper, rising above you is the yellow, orange, and creamy-brown heights of one of Haiti’s most photogenic Gingerbread mansions. This is the Cordasco House, also known as Maison Cordasco, Villa Miramar, and “Le Petit Trianon” in honour of the palace of the same name in Versailles. In Haitian Kreyòl, Cordasco House is affectionately known as Ti Trianon.

As a child, I remember sitting in the back of a pickup truck coming back from Jacmel and looking up in awe at the latticework, turrets, and high, rounded towers. The high-walled gardens overflowed with the tops of frangipani trees, their aromatic waxy flowers heavy. The house was as imposing as any fairytale castle I could conjure, and my childhood self wondered if Haiti’s own Rapunzel lived up in those towers.

Gingerbread houses are ornate turn-of-the-century buildings unique to Haiti. Like their edible namesake, Gingerbreads are famous for steep roofs and ornate details highlighted in vibrant, contrasting colours. They are architecturally fascinating for a number of reasons – not least because they’ve proven to be surprisingly resistant to earthquakes.

In 2020, I was invited by a colleague in the arts to take a private tour of Cordasco house, and I finally got to go through the tall gates I had been gazing at in wonder since childhood.

stairs to large door entrance to house with decorative metal details — Villa Miramar sign above the main entrance at the Cordasco House (Villa Miramar)
Photo: Lëa-Kim Châteauneuf / Wikimedia Commons

Take a peek inside Cordasco House

At the gates, a stone-faced guard greets me with a twinkle in his eye – one part artisan, one part soldier, I soon discover – and swings open the gate. A long, wide driveway, lined by flowering trees, winds toward the four-story turreted mansion. Large, heavy stone vases are embedded in the entryway masonry, flanking the double staircase leading to the main door.

Cordasco House and many others like it were rapidly built in Port-au-Prince starting in the 1860s, as Port-au-Prince’s economic and industrial growth skyrocketed. At that time, as Haiti’s only port open to foreign trade, it was the epicenter of commerce on the island. A new bourgeoisie class of affluent traders, businesspeople, and educated professionals flourished. Opportunity was everywhere, and as the city’s population grew in tandem with its economy, the newly wealthy class migrated out of the chaotic downtown core to the evergreen eastern hillsides of Turgeau, Bois Verna, and Pacot with gorgeous views of the bay. This district is where you’ll find many of the attractions on our self-guided gingerbread tour.

Villa Miramar, the name given to the house by its original owners, can still be seen traced in wrought iron filigree above the main entrance that arches above the grand staircase. As appreciation for the gingerbread style grew, the house increasingly became known as maison Cordasco, after one of the most famous architects of the style.

There’s two theories on who designed and built the Cordasco House. One theory claims the house was built by Fioravante Cordasco, an Italian-born architect active in Haiti until the mid-twentieth century, and an integral part of the gingerbread movement. Although the nickname of “the Cordasco house” lends weight to Cordasco theory, a joint project by Haitian art collective FOKAL and Columbia University writes that the house was actually built by Parisian-trained Haitian architect Joseph-Eugène Maximilien. According to FOKAL, Maximilien built the house in 1914 for the lady Ewald Clara Gauthier.

facade of old gothic gingerbread mansion with decorative fretworks and latticeworks — Facade of the Cordasco House (Villa Miramar) in Pacot
Photo: Lëa-Kim Châteauneuf / Wikimedia Commons

The guard waves me to drive my car past the main house, to where a second, separate building stands. A series of smaller houses stretches behind the mansion’s back, many of them with ornate balconies and gingerbread trim. Towering trees, manicured gardens and pools complete the picture.

The gingerbread architectural style in which the Cordasco House is built is truly creole, blending together foreign influences with local materials in an ornamental way. For example, Haitian gingerbread houses adopt 1830s Victorian “picturesque” features like intricate trim that resembles lace, but execute it with locally available and affordable elements like timber-slatted siding. The classic flamboyant colors of Victorian houses are intensified to neon.

Here in Haiti, the vaulted ceilings sometimes seen in Victorian architecture are an essential feature, improving air circulation in the sultry eternal summer of the Caribbean. To provide shade from the Haitian sun and accommodate the need for daily meeting space, where much of Haitian life takes place, gingerbread houses have wide galleries and porches, integrated into the faux-Victorian aesthetic with intricately adorned latticework.

Climbing up the main steps, I enter a high-ceilinged ante-chamber which opens out onto a three-story winding wooden staircase, rising up, up, up into the rafters. On either side are the principle rooms of the ground floor, framed by intricately-carved doorways.

interior of gingerbread mansion with old wodden staicase — Wooden staircase at the Cordasco House (Villa Miramar)
Photo: Lëa-Kim Châteauneuf / Wikimedia Commons

In the 1970s and 80s, the Cordasco House rose to new fame in the city as a tea house and fashionable boutique under the name Le Petit Trianon, and many of Haiti’s society ladies recall stories of lunching in these airy rooms.

The early 1990s saw the gingerbread house become a home once again, as a private residence to members of the Hudicourt family. One former resident, Lorraine Hudicourt, currently the owner-operator of La Lorraine Boutique Hotel, recalls fond memories of climbing the frangipani flower trees in the front yard in her youth, and playing hide and seek in the fourth-floor attic space with her many sisters and tribe of cousins. In those days, the gates were often open all day as children and cousins came and went, bringing life, laughter and mischief to all corners of the vast property. Housekeepers slept in the sprawling staff quarters at the top of the property, themselves equivalent in size to three Haitian middle-class houses.

Indicating where I should place my step due to earthquake damage, the groundskeeper leads me up the staircase to the second and third floors. Each doorway, each moulding, is intricately carved. Green granite countertops and Portugese tiles decorate the bathrooms. The slanted floors bely the age of this grand old lady, but do nothing to diminish her dignity or grandeur.

interior of old gothic gingerbread mansion with tile floor and structual damage — Ground floor at the Cordasco House (Villa Miramar) in Pacot
Photo: Lëa-Kim Châteauneuf / Wikimedia Commons

The Cordasco House survived the 2010 earthquake, but not without some bruising. The walls suffered several large cracks, and the three-story spiraling staircase that rises up through the house’s center was destabilized. Fortunately, though much of Haiti’s capital had been levelled by the disaster, the Cordasco House’s foundations were undamaged.

The Cordasco house’s resilience is part of a surprising trend. U.S. conservation experts discovered that only five percent of the estimated 300,000 gingerbread houses of Haiti had partially or fully collapsed due to the earthquake, in contrast to forty percent of all other structures, most of which had been considered to be in better condition. The Wall Street Journal suggests that Haiti’s Gingerbread architecture could serve as a model for seismic-resistant structures in the future.

In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, the owners opened up “Ti Trianon” as an improvised hospital for earthquake victims, run by Medecins Sans Frontieres. Part of the house continued to be rented out to NGOs for several years, and was fitted with impromptu walls to delineate offices and cubicles. By 2018 though, many international charities had largely pulled out of Port-au-Prince with their budgets in tow, and office rental in the Cordasco House came to a halt. For two years, only the trusty guardian graced the dozens of rooms, protecting this historic property.

In early 2020, the owners threw open the shutters to sunlight once more, investing in renovations. The neighbourhood of Pacot became a flurry of movement as gallons of fresh white paint coated the Cordasco House’s interior and new scaffolding was erected against the famous facade, ready to usher in another new era of the house’s rich history.

By the time I step out onto the uppermost balcony, an orange and pink sunset is unfurling over the bay of Port-au-Prince.

balcony with decorative fretworkand latticework details — Balcony with view of Port-au-Prince at the Cordasco House (Villa Miramar)
Photo: Lëa-Kim Châteauneuf / Wikimedia Commons

Cordasco House is currently not open to the public, but you can see it from the corner of Rue Pacot and Avenue N in the area of Pacot, Port-au-Prince.

Want to see inside a gingerbread house? Here are my two top picks nearby:

Gingerbread Restaurant: For those looking for a fabulous gingerbread house as a backdrop for photos or a video shoot, we encourage you to discover this nearby gingerbread mansion of equivalent grandeur. Known for great cocktail hours by the pool, Gingerbread Restaurant also does great pizza and salads, and the herring and cod croquettes are out of this world.

Open to the public, Gingerbread Restaurant is located on 22 Rue 3, Pacot. Look for the light blue gate. Open 11am to 10pm Monday through Saturday. Closed Sundays.

Hôtel Villa Thérèse: This three-story gingerbread mansion is distinctly different from most of the gingerbread houses, but its pink turrets and ornate masonry, painted in soft yellows and vibrant blues, clearly draw on the same tradition. Villa Therese operates as a boutique hotel, but you don’t need to book a stay to see inside – anyone can visit the restaurant, open 6:30am to 9:30pm.

Hôtel Villa Thérèse is at 13 Rue Leon Nau Nerette, Petion-Ville.

For a list of gingerbread houses open to the public, check out our guide to gingerbread houses in Haiti.

exterior view of old gothic gingerbread mansion — The Cordasco House (Villa Miramar) in Pacot
Photo: Lëa-Kim Châteauneuf / Wikimedia Commons

Written by Emily Bauman.

Published December 2021

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Visit the Oloffson Hotel

October 22, 2021 by Anton Lau

facade of gothic style gingerbread hotel with palm trees — Hotel Oloffson, Port-au-Prince
Photo: Jean Oscar Augustin

Visit the Oloffson Hotel

The iconic Hotel Oloffson, a gothic “Gingerbread” mansion surrounded by a lush tropical garden, has been described as the most iconic hotel of not just Haiti but the whole Caribbean. The rickety 19th-century mansion is amazingly intact given its location in the centre of a city that has seen so much destruction.

While I wait for the black iron gates to open, passersby weave around my car. I honk again, and the gates creak open just enough to let me through. A doorman in a black cap and a faded T-shirt nods at me, then promptly creaks the gate shut again.

A winding cobblestone path flanked by green foliage disappears into deep gardens. There’s no hotel in sight. Instead, wrought iron sculptures with diabolic faces peer out from between the leaves. More and more strange sculptures appear, some created from car parts in a style I recognize as belonging to the Atis Resistance movement.

As the driveway winds further uphill, the white lattice of the mansion roof appears over the palm trees and mango leaves. On the left side of the driveway, a glittering white-and-mirror mosaic wall emerges into view. In the center, the mural shows a red and blue boat. Trained eyes know that more than a simple sailboat, this is actually a dedication to the vodou spirit of the sea, Agwe. Near the anchor that dips into the white waves, sacred inscriptions hint at the magic and folklore that infuses Hotel Oloffson.

Parking on a cobblestone flatway, I turn off the motor, and approach the famous front entrance of the Hotel Oloffson. Craning to look up, I marvel at the nest-like widow’s peak and the many turreted balconies on the upper floors. This particular example of gingerbread architecture was described as “an illustration from a book of fairy tales” by American author Graham Greene who once lived and wrote here. A fan of Wes Anderson Movies, I imagine the Hotel Oloffson as a Caribbean cousin to The Grand Budapest Hotel.

An air of sleepiness and reverie envelops the front steps which veer off to the left and right. Everything is painted white – the bricks, the timber upper stories, the intricately carved wood panels that section off the balconies. In an alcove set into the white stone base of a staircase, several sculptures stand watch, including a three-foot-high man who represents the Gede family of vodou lwa. The Gede are the gods of the crossroads between life and death celebrated annually during the Haitian Day of the Dead.

hotel restauarant veranda with tile floor green doors — Restaurant veranda at Hotel Oloffson
Photo: Jean Oscar Augustin

The Hotel Oloffson Restaurant

At the top of the stairs, an ancient-looking butler stands sentinel at the restaurant entrance. Behind him, an expansive verandah leads through a sequence of lobby rooms to a concert stage. I nod to the butler and choose a table in the far corner, overlooking the city of Port-au-Prince and the strip of azure sea beyond. A century of politicians, musicians, local artists and vodou priests have sat in this same chair.

The butler takes my order – the Oloffson’s famous rum punch cocktail and a side of accra – and shuffles over nineteenth-century mosaic tiles to disappear behind saloon doors painted with a vivid Haitian countryside scene. Haitian art is smattered across the grounds. The corner table of the Oloffson verandah is an excellent vantage point to take in the art collection that begins in the sculpture garden below and creeps up to the mansion, covering nearly every wall of the hotel lobby, restaurant, and its myriad guest rooms.

Above the table, a pearly pink-and-white sequined flag catches my eye. It carries one of the lwa cosmograms- sacred designs that act like a beacon, calling down the corresponding spirit. The curving heart shape indicates this is a flag created for Erzulie Freda – spirit of love and protector of children.

hotel bar interior with liquor bottles and old framed mirror — Bar at Hotel Oloffson
Photo: Jean Oscar Augustin

What to order

For starters, try the Oloffson’s famous rum punch cocktail, or a rum sour if you’re after something simpler. The best accompaniment is accra: the deep-fried, very spicy batter made from malanga root is prepared with special care in the hotel kitchen below, and arrives with a heaping pile of spiced pikliz – best eaten with your fingers.

old gothic style gingerbread hotel with lush green trees — Hotel Oloffson, Port-au-Prince
Photo: Jean Oscar Augustin

History

The mansion was built as the primary residence for the Sam family, an influential clan that boasts two former presidents of Haiti among its ranks. In 1915, following the infamous death of its owner at the hands of political protestors, the Sam mansion was seized by US military forces. The mansion served as a US military hospital until the US occupation ended in 1934.

Few visitors to Haiti know how the famed Hotel Oloffson got its current name, but I’ll let you in on the secret. In 1935, when the US occupation ended, the mansion was leased to a Swedish sea captain named Werner Gustav Oloffson, who wanted to retire from life on the open water in Haiti’s summery climate. Along with his wife Margot and two children, Captain Oloffson set about converting the lush expansive gardens, gingerbread mansion and hospital wing into Haiti’s finest hotel.

In the 1950s, 60s and 70s, the hotel went Hollywood. An outpost for the rich and fabulous, the Oloffson hosted the American political and cultural elite – Jackie Onassis Kennedy would often be found fanning herself on the nest-like balcony of the grand honeymoon suite. The emerald-green swimming pool in the garden hosted an endless stream of parties for musicians, models and writers, as one expat owner after the other took their turn at the helm.

Many of the rooms now boast hand-painted placards with the name of a famous past guest. Visitors can sleep in the Mick Jagger room, Jackie O room, Graham Greene room and more. Like their erstwhile guests, the hotel corridors are anything but straight and narrow: some suites are situated above the swimming pool, connected by hidden corridors. Others you reach by a winding narrow staircase off the main lobby. The staircase to the second floor is an ancient wooden construction that sinks underfoot in places, and leads further up into lofty galleries, then through a wooden passageway. Still more wooden passages take visitors into the wing that once held the American military hospital. The most sought-after rooms are in the main mansion, just above the lobby.

"Sunsan Sarandon" handpainted placard with flowers — Susan Sarandon placard, Hotel Oloffson
Photo: Jean Oscar Augustin

Live Music

Every Saturday night at the Oloffson, the band RAM – an absolute national treasure – delivers an unforgettable performance of vodou-infused rock. If you’re not a guest at the hotel or paying for a sit-down dinner, you’ll need to pay an entry fee of 500 HTG (about 5 U.S. dollars). The show starts around 10:30. Expect sing-a-longs with an enthusiastic crowd and dancing all night long. (Note that until recently, RAM played every Thursday, but changed to Saturdays in 2020.)

Weekly performances by RAM have become a ceremonial-grade ritual loved by all levels of society. Remarkably, in a country where consistency is hard to find, the band has consistently gigged at the Oloffson since 1990, when the band’s frontman took over running the hotel.

A “vodou rock and roots” band, RAM incorporates traditional vodou lyrics and instruments, such as rara horns and Petwo drums, into rock, and their lyrics are sung in a macaronic medley of Haitian creole, French and English.

Hotel Oloffson, Port-au-Prince
Photo: Jean Oscar Augustin

The 2010 earthquake

After the 2010 earthquake, the Oloffson was one of the few hotels left standing in Port-au-Prince. Some joked that the ancient structure was held together by termites in the wood and magic in the rafters, but research has since shown that Haiti’s traditional gingerbread houses are surprisingly earthquake resistant.

The Oloffson became a major hub for the influx of humanitarian workers and global media outlets that descended on the capital. The expansive porches and grounds were an informal HQ for foreigners and emissaries of the estimated hundred thousand charities who became active in the “NGO Republic” of Port-au-Prince. Anyone seeking a meeting or rendezvous point defaulted to the Oloffson.

Era after era, the space has served its guests loyally. The Oloffson has been a family home, hotel, hospital, jam-hall, meeting place, humanitarian headquarters, art gallery, and celebrity escape.

The Hotel Oloffson stands guard over downtown Port-au-Prince, undeterred by rebellion, earthquake, or the famous faces that wander its corridors. The beauty of the fairytale is still unraveling, and seated comfortably in my chair with this view, I feel grateful for yet another chance to weave my own story into the stories of those who have come before. Sipping my rum punch, I wonder what will become of this space in another fifty years. Who will drive up the garden passage, and what incarnation of the Oloffson will they find?

interior of hotel guest room with wodden desk and sunlight — Balcony room at Hotel Oloffson
Photo: Jean Oscar Augustin

Stay at the Oloffson

Almost a century after Captain Oloffson took over the sprawling gingerbread mansion, the Oloffson is still running as a boutique hotel.

Guests can stay in one of 22 rooms, dine at the in-house restaurant and lounge at the outdoor pool. All suites include a free continental breakfast, free WiFi, and free parking. One of the Oloffson’s attractions is its seclusion, and to save you having to travel into the city for essentials, there’s even a convenience store on site.

RAM plays on Saturday nights. The show is free for hotel guests and dinner customers.

The Oloffson is hidden from view on 60 Ave Christophe, Port-au-Prince, in the neighbourhood of Saint Gérard, just near trendy Pacot.

Within a short walk you’ll find the Museum of Haitian Art, Champs de Mars Square and the National Pantheon Museum. Haiti’s main airport is a 10 minute drive away.

Book your stay now!

facade of gothic style gingerbread hotel with palm trees and dog — Hotel Oloffson, Port-au-Prince
Photo: Jean Oscar Augustin

Written by Emily Bauman.

Published October 2020.

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Explore Haiti’s History & Heritage

Catch a show with Haitian Vodou rock band RAM

November 19, 2020 by Anton Lau

haitian lead singer in band dancing in front of microphone — RAM performing at Hotel Oloffson
Photo: RAM.com

Catch a show with Haitian Vodou rock and roots band RAM

Every Saturday night at the Oloffson, the band RAM delivers an unforgettable performance of Vodou-infused rock. Here’s what you need to know before you go.

Every Saturday night at the Hotel Oloffson, the band RAM – a Haitian national treasure – delivers an unforgettable performance of Vodou-infused rock. If you’re not a guest at the hotel or paying for a sit-down dinner, you’ll need to pay an entry fee of 500 HTG (about 5 U.S. dollars). The show starts around 10:30. Expect sing-a-longs with an enthusiastic crowd and dancing all night long.

haitian musicians playing on trumpets — RAM performers with vaksin horns
Photo: RAM.com

On the gothic gingerbread verandah of the Oloffson, you can join a decades-long tradition of watching the sun set over Port-au-Prince with a rum sour or rum punch. On Saturday nights, there’s another ritual going on.

Weekly performances by RAM have become a ceremony loved by all levels of society. Remarkably, in a country where consistency is hard to find, the band has consistently gigged at the Oloffson since 1990, when the band’s frontman took over running the hotel. In fact, the band gets its name from the initials of the Oloffson’s owner, Richard Auguste Morse. Morse’s wife, Lunise, is the lead singer and main dancer.

A “Vodou rock and roots” band, RAM incorporates traditional Vodou lyrics and instruments, such as rara horns and Petwo drums, into modern rock-and-roll grooves. Their lyrics are sung in a macaronic medley of Haitian creole, French and English that islanders and diaspora can appreciate especially. To hear it is to connect with a distinctive sound that could only have been born in Haiti.

haitian band performing in front of crowd — RAM performing at Hotel Oloffson
Photo: RAM.com

RAM live: an unmissable experience

First off, expect to see anyone and everyone here. The shows are and have always been attended not just by often-international hotel guests but a diverse spectrum of the country’s political and ethnic groups and subcultures. Humanitarian workers line the front row next to cross-dressed dancers and Haitian artists from nearby downtown neighborhoods. Corner tables are occupied by foreign ambassadors and visiting celebrities, or Grammy award-winning musicians with a love for Haiti.

The lights are few and far between, and often shine out blue and red. Near the permanent stage erected in the heart of the Oloffson mansion, genuine vodouwizan practitioners can be spotted in the throng of dancers. Some of the people in the crowd have been regulars here for 20 years. One woman in a white traditional frock and elaborate satin turban loves to spray sacred flower-scented florida water on the crowd. Many know the lyrics by heart, no matter what decade the song is from. Several people appear to have entered their own worlds, dancing with unearthly vigour, evoking the scenes of ritual possession one might see at a Vodou ceremony or at the Haitian Day of the Dead.

haitian musicians in red and blue dresses performing — RAM performing
Photo: RAM.com

The early days of RAM

The band started in 1990 when Morse negotiated the lease for the Hotel – then very dilapidated. He created a folklore dance troupe along with his wife and a group of musicians – many from the poorer districts of nearby downtown neighborhoods.

RAM prides itself on having deep roots but always adapting to the times. Many of the lyrics have subtle or not-so-subtle political messages. In the new release “Ayiti Leve”, the lyrics (in Kreyòl) say: “Haiti you sleep too much. It’s time to wash your eyes.” The music video shows the corridors of the Oloffson clouded in darkness. The lead singer’s son, William – also bass guitarist for the band – sits on a traditional high-backed wooden chair in the dark. His mother Lunise walks through the french doors and hands him a candle, illuminating his face and the iconic porch behind him.

The Vodou-inspired drumming is classic RAM but this time the visual is unexpected. “Wake up. See where you are,” the lyrics continue. One by one, Lunise places a candle in each of the band members’ hands. It’s the same shadow play that makes visitors of the Oloffson aware they are wading thickly into something unseen.

Their 2020 Carnival song, “Kongo Lazil O (Kan’w Pran Ou Konnen)” marked RAM’s 28th carnival song release, spanning an era that has seen violent revolts, revolutions, and sometimes unpopular public opinions of RAM’s frontman Morse.

During the years of Haiti’s military regime, one of RAM’s songs, “Fèy” (“Leaf” in english), was censored nationally and eventually banned from radio play by the regime, who correctly perceived it to be a song covertly supporting the exiled President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. In defiance of death threats, the band continued to play weekly concerts at the Oloffson – until Morse only narrowly escaped a kidnapping, almost being carried out by junta authorities from the hotel in the middle of a performance in 1994. In 1998, the band’s lyrics offended the newly-elected mayor of Port-au-Prince, and they survived an assasination attempt on their float during a Carnival performance. While the Thursday night performances have been switched to Saturdays in 2020, RAM continues to use their iconic stage as a launch pad for social commentary. The band is loyal to providing lyrical provocation to Haiti’s political landscape.

How to see the show

RAM plays on Saturday nights at the Hotel Oloffson, 60 Ave Christophe, Port-au-Prince, in the neighbourhood of Saint Gérard, just near trendy Pacot.

The show is free for hotel guests and dinner customers. If you’re not sleeping at the hotel or paying for a sit-down dinner, you’ll need to pay an entry fee of 500 HTG (about 5 U.S. dollars). The show starts around 10:30 and runs until late.

Written by Emily Bauman.

Published November 2020

Explore Haiti’s Art & Culture

Gingerbread Houses

May 21, 2020 by admin

old colonial houses in coastal city — The Boucard House in Jacmel
Photo: Anton Lau

Gingerbread Houses

“an important architectural and cultural heritage, not just for Haiti but also for the international community.”

Gingerbread Houses are ornate turn-of-the-century buildings unique to Haiti. Like their edible namesake, Gingerbread Houses are famous for steep roofs and ornate details highlighted in vibrant, contrasting colours. They are architecturally fascinating for a number of reasons – not least because they’ve proven to be surprisingly resistant to earthquakes.

An iconic feature of urban communities around Haiti, these ageing architectural masterpieces have survived a century of turmoil and natural disaster, and are a compelling conservation opportunity. And they’ve just been formally recognised as one of the most important at-risk heritage sites in the world.

old colonial haitian house in tropical garden — Old gingerbread house on Rue 16 F, Cap-Haïtien
Photo: Mozart Louis

Where can you see Gingerbread Houses?

These stately relics are scattered throughout Port-au-Prince, but are concentrated in the neighborhoods of Pacot, Turgeau, Bois Verna, and Bas Peu de Choses. You’ll also find Gingerbread Houses in other cities around Haiti, including Jérémie, Jacmel, and Cap-Haïtien.

Who were they built for? What are they used for now?

Originally, Gingerbread Houses were built as the residences of powerful Haitian families, and many surviving examples have housed Haitian presidents. During the 1900s, some of these Gingerbread residences were acquired or built by Catholic institutions, which is why many of the Catholic schools and buildings you can see today are examples of the Gingerbread style.

During Haiti’s boom time as a fashionable travel destination in the 1950s and 60s (when the moniker “Gingerbread” was first introduced by American tourists), Gingerbread Houses were symbols of prestige, used as the seasonal residences of stars like Truman Capote, Noël Coward, Graham Greene and Katherine Dunham, who stayed at the Hotel Oloffson or bought Gingerbread Houses of their own.

Today, most of the investment in Gingerbread Houses comes from the arts. Organizations like Kolektif 509, FOKAL, Fondation Viviane Gauthier and Le Centre d’Art are restoring iconic Gingerbread Houses and opening them up to the public as spaces to preserve, practice and promote Haitian art forms.

colonial house decorative fretworkand latticework details — Gingerbread house in Turgeau
Photo: Franck Fontain

Architectural style

In 1895, three young Haitians travelled to Paris to study architecture, and adapted Parisian architecture to the Caribbean climate and living conditions. Together, these young architects refined the architectural style now known as “Gingerbread”, designing civic buildings and residences that combined French-inspired, Victorian Gothic grandeur with flamboyant colors and vivid decorative patterns – including vèvè symbols from Haitian Vodou.

Designed for Haiti’s tropical hot and humid weather, Gingerbread Houses feature tall ceilings, doors and windows as well as wrap-around verandahs, all decorated in a vibrant, distinctive style with elaborate details unique to Haiti. Most Gingerbread Houses were constructed using natural, flexible timber frames that have the innate ability to weather some of the Caribbean’s toughest storms (and as it turns out, even earthquakes).

Inside, they’re a mastery of climate-control, with high ceilings and tall turret roofs designed to draw hot air upwards and out of living rooms. Louvred shutter windows allow cool breezes in and keep moisture out. In the leafy suburbs of Pacot, Pétion-Ville and Turgeau, these majestic windows open out onto picturesque views of the city. Luxurious, extended front porches plunge onto stately grounds with manicured tropical gardens.

old colonial houses on city street in jacmel — Gingerbread houses on Rue Du Commerce, Jacmel
Photo: Anton Lau

Conservation

By the 21st century, many of these once-elegant, century-old structures had fallen into disrepair. Although the communities of people living in and caring for Gingerbread Houses had made substantive efforts to preserve them, political and economic conditions meant that only some of these iconic buildings could be adequately preserved.

As a whole, the historic Gingerbread House district of Port-au-Prince wasn’t getting the support it needed as an at-risk cultural heritage site. In 2009, the Haitian Leadership and Education Program (HELP) successfully brought Gingerbread Houses to the attention of the World Monuments Fund (WMF), in the hopes of generating support for the restoration of these irreplaceable treasures. In late 2009, Haiti’s Gingerbread Houses were chosen as one of the WMF’s 2010 World Monuments Watch list.

2010 earthquake

Less than three months later, the devastating earthquake of January 12, 2010 struck. The Haitian government made Gingerbread Houses a conservation priority. Now internationally recognised for their architectural and social significance, local and global cultural heritage organizations mobilized quickly to assess the damage. By early February, teams were touring Gingerbread House sites to inspect and evaluate. Though many suffered serious damage, their traditional construction proved surprisingly earthquake-resistant, and very few of them collapsed.

In fact, less than five percent of Gingerbread Houses collapsed completely, compared with forty percent of modern, conventionally-constructed buildings. Architects are now trying to analyse what makes the fragile-looking, intricate Gingerbread Houses so seismically resistant, in the hopes of designing future homes in Haiti to be more resilient.

2020 World Monuments Watch

In November 2019, the Gingerbread district of Port-au-Prince was chosen as one of 25 globally-important sites on the WMF 2020 World Monuments Watch, a list of exceptional sites that “marry great historical significance with contemporary social impact.”

The Gingerbread district was selected from more than 250 applications, after a series of in-depth reviews by an independent panel of international experts in heritage preservation.

“The chosen locations are determined not only by their architectural value, but also by their impact on communities around the world,” said Bénédicte de Montlaur, CEO of WMF. “These remarkable sites demand sustainable, community-driven solutions that bring people together and combine conservation and social change”

Being on the 2020 Watch list means that local stakeholders working to preserve Port-au-Prince’s Gingerbread district will now receive crucial funding from the WMF and its international financial partners. Hopefully, the hard work of local conservation teams will now have an even bigger impact.

A compelling conservation opportunity

Port-au-Prince’s historic Gingerbread Houses embody Haiti’s cultural heritage in a nutshell: rich and incredibly valuable as a cultural and economic resource for contemporary Haitians and future generations to thrive – but also endangered, under-documented and underfunded.

Make a difference by visiting Port-au-Prince’s Historic District today. If you’re lucky, you might get to meet the communities of artists and conservationists working to revitalize these extraordinary treasures.

old colonial houses lined on street with ocean in background — Old gingerbread houses on Rue Stenio Vincent in Jérémie
Photo: Anton Lau

Go on a self-guided tour of Gingerbread houses

Open to the public in Port-au-Prince

Villa Kalewès – 99 Rue Gregoire, Petion-Ville. Easily recognizable by the rich gingerbread color of its fairy-tale wooden walls and icing-like white lace edging. One of the most important Gingerbread structures in Petionville, Villa Kalewès remains both in-use and, lucky for us, open to the public. Villa Kalewès isn’t open every day, so make sure to visit during an advertised event or call head to check.

Maison Dufort – 9 2eme Rue du Travail, Turgeau, Port-au-Prince. Open to the public 9am – 4pm. Maison Dufort was extensively restored by nonprofit FOKAL (Foundation Connaissance et Liberté) between 2012 and 2018. To find out more, ring 2813-1694 or email studiofokal@fokal.org. Voyages Lumière run guided tours in French and English.

Gingerbread restaurant – 22 Rue 3, Port-au-Prince. Open 11am to 10pm Monday thru Saturday. Closed Sundays.

Hotel Oloffson – Ave Christophe, 60, Port-au-Prince. A working hotel, Hotel Oloffson also has a restaurant where non-guests are welcome for lunch (US $12-15) and dinner (US $15-25), as well as a famously good live Vodou rock show every Thursday night. Originally built as the residence of an influence family, Hotel Oloffson has been a presidential residence, a US military hospital (during the 20-year US occupation of Haiti from 1915 to 1935) and a hotel since 1936. Glorified in Graham Greene’s 1966 novel The Comedians.

Le Centre d’Art / Larsen Family House – 22 rue Casseus, Pacot, Port-au-Prince. In late 2019, this house was purchased from the Larsen family and will become the new home of Le Centre d’Art. The old premises of Le Centre d’Art, at 58 rue Roy, were damaged beyond repair during the 2010 earthquake.

Maison Gauthier – In the heart of the historic Gingerbread district, Maison Gauthier “represents both the life of the celebrated doyenne of Haitian folkloric dance, Viviane Gauthier, and one of the finest examples of gingerbread architecture in Haiti.” In 2015 the Fondation Viviane Gauthier was established to restore the villa and maintain it as a place to teach and promote Haitian folkloric dance.

Open to the public outside Port-au-Prince

In Jacmel it’s possible to see inside a Gingerbread House at Hotel Florita, Hotel Manoir Adriana, Sant d’A Jakmel and Alliance Francaise.

In Cap-Haitien it’s possible to go inside Hotel Roi Christophe and Alliance Francaise.

Not open to the public

The Peabody House – hidden from view by dense tropical gardens, the Peabody House is near the corner of Rue Pacot and Rue Malval in Pacot, Port-au-Prince.

The Cordasco House (also known as Villa Marimar / Le Petit Trianon) – a 19th century gothic Gingerbread mansion in Pacot, Port-au-Prince.

Villa Castel Fleuri – Avenue H. Christophe, Port-au-Prince. Briefly home to the President of Haiti, Villa Castel Fleuri suffered extensive damage during the 2010 earthquake.

Le Manoir – Avenue John Brown, Port-au-Prince. Has remarkable roofs and turrets constructed with decorative pressed metal roof shingles.

The Patrice Pamphile House – 4 Rue Casseus, Turgeau, Port-au-Prince. Extensively damaged by the 2010 earthquake.

Maison Chenet, also restored by nonprofit FOKAL between 2012 and 2018.

The Bazin House on Rue du Travail Deuxième, Port-au-Prince.

The house of Jean-Richard Montas – 79 Avenue H. Christophe, Port-au-Prince.

Gingerbread House built by Tancrede Auguste – 32 Lamartiniere, Port-au-Prince.

Wood-frame house – 24 Avenue Lamartiniere, Port-au-Prince.

A charming example of a smaller and simpler Gingerbread House – 26 Rue 7

A large and elaborate Gingerbread House, still surrounded by its original
spacious property, at 9 Rue Bellvue, Port-au-Prince.

Gingerbread House – 51 Avenue Christophe, Port-au-Prince.

Gingerbread House at 59 Lavaud 3, Port-au-Prince.

Gingerbread House at 14 Rue Marcelin, Port-au-Prince.

Gingerbread House at 32 Lamartiniere, Port-au-Prince.

Gingerbread House at the Episcopal University, 14 Rue Légitime, Port-au-Prince.

Gingerbread House at 22 Rue Pacot, Port-au-Prince.

College de Jeunes Filles, at 10 Lavaud, Port-au-Prince.

old colonial house on city street with traffic — Gingerbread house in Jacmel
Photo: Anton Lau

Written by Kira Paulemon.

Published May 2020

Explore Haiti’s History & Heritage

Explore Haiti’s Contemporary Art Scene at Villa Kalewès

November 6, 2018 by Editor

The outside of Villa Kalewes gallery, Port-au-Prince, Haiti — Villa Kalewès, Petion-Ville
Photo: Franck Fontain

Explore Haiti’s Contemporary Art Scene at Villa Kalewès

Kalewès is the creole word for “hangout” and Villa Kalewès, the gingerbread mansion turned contemporary art gallery, invites you to do just that.

Take a look inside Pétion-Ville’s artist-owned contemporary gallery.

Take a closer look

Situated at the heights of Pétion-Ville, at the end of 99 Rue Gregoire, Villa Kalewès is easily recognizable by the rich gingerbread color of its fairy-tale wooden walls and white lace-like edging. It’s one of the most important gingerbread structures in Pétion-Ville, and remains both in-use and, lucky for us, open to the public.

An exemplary specimen of Haiti’s turn of the century architecture, Villa Kalewès may seem like an odd choice of venue for the capital’s leading contemporary art gallery, but it reflects the innovative spirit that has been drawing crowds since Kalewès reopened its doors to the public in 2014.

Walking up the front steps, you enter onto a covered veranda classically decorated with an intricate mosaic of tiles. You pass through multiple spacious rooms with high vaulted ceilings and sun-drenched windows typical of the gingerbread style, until you reach the courtyard lush with tropical trees and perfume-laden flowers.

A small bar and swimming pool are part of the villa’s history as a private family mansion, but Villa Kalewès is now owned by a contemporary art group called Kollectif 509. It’s the venue of choice for artist workshops, children’s art classes and over 30 art shows since 2014. Looking for an upcoming cultural event to attend? The first Thursday of every month is a salon-style evening the Villa. It features a particular artist and invites discussion around a topic chosen each month.

Villa Kalewès, Petion-Ville
Photo: Franck Fontain

About the collective

Kolektif 509 is the brainchild of Xavier Dalencour and Valerie Noisette, two artists with a passion for the contemporary art scene in Haiti. The idea behind the project evolved from a recognition of the growing need for emerging and established artists in Haiti to have a consistent and artist-owned venue to showcase their work.

“There is a new generation of very talented artists, and there are many artists who are known internationally but not so much in their own country,” said the duo in a recent interview. “We wanted to bring these artists together to show to the public what new innovations are being done in Haitian art today.“

The dedication to showcasing Haitian culture is evident in varied artworks that hang on both the upper and lower floors of the spacious gallery. New methods, styles, and schools are all welcome here.

Artists like Pascale Faublas recently experimented with batik printing. Her fuschia, white and black hearts with Vodou vèvè-inspired motifs drew admiring crowds at a recent all-women’s art show. Equally experimental, Mafalda plays with multi-layered translucent papers and acrylic paint.

Support local artists

While the ambitions of the collective are high, the prices are incredibly reasonable. You can purchase an original painting for as little as $150 US dollars and support the contemporary artists who sometimes struggle to find an audience in Haiti’s art-saturated landscape. The gift shop is stacked full of even more affordable gift ideas, such as contemporary Haitian art prints.

Getting there

Thinking of making a stop at this architectural gem? Villa Kalewès isn’t open every day, so make sure to visit during a special event or simply call head to check.

Written by Emily Bauman.

Published November 2018

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Gingerbread Houses

“an important architectural and cultural heritage, not just for Haiti but also for the international community.”

The Birds of Haiti on Your Wall

Where can you see Gingerbread Houses?

Who were they built for? What are they used for now?

Architectural style

Conservation

start your day the Haitian way

2010 earthquake

2020 World Monuments Watch

Discover Sacred Vodou Symbols!

A compelling conservation opportunity

Go on a self-guided tour of Gingerbread houses

Open to the public in Port-au-Prince

start your day the Haitian way

Open to the public outside Port-au-Prince

Not open to the public

Your pocket guide to Cap-Haïtien

Explore Haiti’s History & Heritage

Paradise for your inbox

Explore Haiti’s Contemporary Art Scene at Villa Kalewès

start your day the Haitian way

Take a closer look

About the collective

From Our Land to Your Home

Support local artists

Getting there

A Visual Guide to Vodou Symbols

Find Villa Kalewes

Select Language

a touch of
haitian wisdom

a touch of
haitian wisdom

start your day
the Haitian way

start your day
the Haitian way

start your day
the Haitian way

start your day
the Haitian way

start your day
the Haitian way

start your day
the Haitian way

A Visual Guide to
Vodou Symbols