Gingerbread
Houses
Houses are uncommon for the typical city, in fact you expect
to see high rise apartments. In Port of Spain instead there are a few of the
traditional type houses. It is quite amazing to see that although Port of Spain
is trying to be a city of the future, it can still keep historical value and
not just those that can be used as a tourist attraction but rather as actual
abodes for persons. It shows that the city is still in this small way, about
the people. Just these few houses can show the historical connection and
appreciation that we still have. It gives hope that this urban life maybe isn't
as obsessed about machines and the future. Maybe, just maybe Port of Spain can
be that city with a balance. Yet, one may wonder whether or not these specific
houses were preserved because of their colonial background. Did we keep these
colonial remnants as reminders of our fight for freedom or as our potential
goals? Where do we as a country really stand when Colonialism is considered? Do
we pound our chests and say we won the battle or do we observe quaint
architectural reminders in fascination?
The traditional houses that are seen are collectively
referred to as gingerbread houses or fretwork houses. These houses started to
emerge by the mid-nineteenth century from a collaboration of architectural
styles brought to the country through the Europeans (Spanish, French and
English). These architectural styles included the French styled dormer windows
with Moro-Iberian jalousie shutters, Franco-Iberian pitched roof and English
hipped roof with shingles. The characteristics of these houses that make them
unique are the pinnacle/finial, portico, cresting, dormer windows, fretwork
bargeboard, demerara windows, piers, jalousie window and window walls, jali,
elevated porch, pavilion and fretwork cornices, eaves and brackets. These
houses were normally painted in two different colours which can still be seen
today in Port-of-Spain. A darker colour for the house itself and a lighter
colour usually of the same colour used for the house or white for the fretwork
and jalis. In the picture shown above, some of these characteristics can be
seen. In 1895 Port-of-Spain was victim to a mass fire that wiped out most of
these houses but Scottish architect George Brown was given the task to rebuild
these beautiful structures. He employed many architects, carpenters, artisans
and builders from many countries across the globe to rebuild these houses. He
did so successfully creating these houses that didn’t cost a lot of money to be
made, were of an appropriate size with intricate designs, made to accommodate
the open air and sunlight and made of lumber that unfortunately were prone to
pests. These houses later began to be demolished and replaced by concrete and
galvanized roof houses or left to deteriorate.
However, some were saved in time by residents who continued to live in
those houses, by individuals who revered these gingerbread houses and
refurbished those left abandoned as can be seen in Belmont and Woodbrook.
Today some of these gingerbread houses are still used as
residential abodes. One of these refurbished fretwork house famously known as
The Gingerbread House has been made into a guest house in Queen’s Park West
Port-of-Spain. But some of these houses are being used for both residential and
commercial purposes as can be seen in downtown Port-of-Spain. In the picture
shown above, remnants of the gingerbread house can still be seen in its
jalousie windows upstairs but downstairs has been transformed into businesses
(Subway and Digicel).
Looking at these fretwork houses, a sense of admiration for
its intricate designs and collaboration of architectural styles are felt. A
connection to the past arises with a sense of nostalgia by the older folks.
However, these houses are still standing connections to the colonial past.
The
colonial theory again comes into play with the traditional houses. These
traditional houses are significant of the colonial past. The urban planners of
Port-of-Spain clearly saw significance in preserving these houses. The colonial
city model is clearly still maintained in this instance. The imperial powers
still have an unspoken control over the city’s organisation and development
through the presence of these buildings. Could it be that these planners still
have the colonial mentality whereby what the imperial powers designed is of a
high enough value to remain undisturbed? This city is constantly improving
itself, advancing its infrastructure and aiming for First World appearance, yet
it still manages to preserve these older buildings. Is it that gentrification
only occurs when buildings aren’t constructed by the imperial powers? Are we so
brainwashed that we hold European architecture in higher esteem than our own? We
have possibly accepted our colonial past and in an attempt to move forward we
both preserve our history and found a useful way to incorporate them into our
society by means of small business establishments.
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