Following the 2010 Haiti earthquake, JMP led the restoration of the historic Iron Market in Port-au-Prince. During this work, the practice was invited by the World Monuments Fund and the British Embassy in the Dominican Republic to document the city’s endangered Gingerbread Houses quarter and develop a template for their repair and reuse. This distinctive collection of around 300 surviving houses represents a uniquely Haitian interpretation of nineteenth-century French neo-Gothic design, characterised by timber frames, wraparound verandas and rich ornamentation.
Maison Gauthier and cultural memory
To focus attention and funding, a single, emblematic project was identified: Maison Gauthier. Unlike many of its counterparts, this modest building remained in use as the lifelong home of Viviane Gauthier – a well-known performer and teacher of Haitian folkloric dance. Born in the house, Madame Gauthier lived and taught there for nearly a century, transforming the building into a place of cultural transmission as well as architectural significance.
The project centred not only on the conservation of the house, but on sustaining the cultural life it supported. In 2015, the Fondation Viviane Gauthier was established by Madame Gauthier, local architect Ginette Baussan, John McAslan and Gary Hattem, creating a formal platform for restoration, education and advocacy. A short film, Dans le cœur de Viviane Gauthier, further amplified the project’s reach, capturing dance classes held within and around the house.
Restoration, education and legacy
In 2017, the US Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation awarded $200,000 towards the restoration and rehabilitation of the house and site, supported by further international and local fundraising. Delivered by an international and Haitian-based team using local labour, the project combines structural stabilisation with careful conservation and community engagement.
Maison Gauthier now stands as a benchmark for heritage renewal in Port-au-Prince – a living place of dance, learning and memory – and a model for the wider regeneration of the Gingerbread Houses district.
