2016 Reports

The Gingerbread Houses of Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Avrami, Erica C.; Raynolds, William; Atwood, Tyler; Chao, Catherine; de la Torre, Maria; Fischer, Catherine; He, Bo; Hovanic, Charles; Leo, Cherie-Nicole; Maquilon, Juan Carlos; Perles, Michael; Reiter, Barrett; Sanchez-Sanchez, Alberto; Xia, Qingying

This report results from an advanced studio course of historic preservation, urban planning, and real estate development students at Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation. Recognizing both the important work that has already been done, as well as the challenges ahead to preserve Haiti’s Gingerbread heritage, this studio focused on the Gingerbread buildings as important elements of the urban environment of Port-au-Prince, undertaking survey work and research in several neighborhoods with concentrations of these structures. Given the value they hold to the people of Haiti, the Gingerbreads are not simply historic buildings in need of repair; they are a form of living heritage that can help to catalyze change within the physical and social fabric of the community. The studio was undertaken with the support of World Monuments Fund and in collaboration with the Haitian Education and Leardership Program (HELP), the the Fondation connaissance et liberté / Fondasyon Konesans Ak Liberte (FOKAL), and the Faculté d’Études Post-Graduées at the Université d’Etat.

Keywords: gingerbread architecture, heritage, historic preservation, urban planning, post-earthquake