Bulletin of the ISPAN, No. 25: Gingerbreads: History and Typology
Summary: The gingerbread quarters of Port-au-Prince — Bois-Verna, Turgeau, Babiole, Pacot and Desprez — which grew out of what Georges Corvington called the green hill and are characterized by the traditional residences of the Haitian elite. Among the houses recorded is the one at 32 avenue Lamartinière built by former president Tancrède Auguste.
Key Findings
- The bulletin reproduces a chapter from the December 2010 World Monuments Fund report on Port-au-Prince gingerbread houses, based on the February and March 2010 post-earthquake mission.
- The report locates the main gingerbread concentration in an area of about 1.5 km2 covering Bois-Verna, Turgeau, Babiole, Pacot and Desprez.
- The article says the gingerbread movement began in Haiti in 1881 under Lysius Salomon with the construction of the National Palace, and that the building now known as Hotel Oloffson was commissioned in 1887.
- The article identifies Georges Baussan, Leon Mathon and Joseph-Eugene Maximilien as three Haitians who returned from architecture studies in Paris in 1895 and helped create a Haitian lattice-house style adapted to the tropical climate.
- The issue says the period of gingerbread architecture ended in 1925 when the mayor ordered new buildings to use masonry, reinforced concrete or iron to reduce fire risk.
- The chronicle reports that cleaning and removal of dangerous elements at the Port-au-Prince Metropolitan Cathedral took place from 9 to 13 May 2011 under ISPAN supervision after the 12 January 2010 earthquake.
Full Description
The gingerbread quarters of Port-au-Prince — Bois-Verna, Turgeau, Babiole, Pacot and Desprez — which grew out of what Georges Corvington called the green hill and are characterized by the traditional residences of the Haitian elite. Among the houses recorded is the one at 32 avenue Lamartinière built by former president Tancrède Auguste. One issue of the Bulletin de l'ISPAN, the monthly bulletin of Haiti's Institut de Sauvegarde du Patrimoine National, which ran from June 2009 to at least November 2011 and documented one monument, site or historic center per issue.
How to cite
Institute for the Protection of National Heritage (ISPAN), 2011, Bulletin of the ISPAN, No. 25: Gingerbreads: History and Typology, https://www.haiti.org/