A heritage building lives on in Trinidad

By Michelle Nurse On Mar 28, 2015

The National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago recognized the restoration work on Boissiere House with an award in 2014. (Photo viat Liam Boodoo, New York Times) — The National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago recognized the restoration work on Boissiere House with an award in 2014. (**Photo via Liam Boodoo, New York Times**)

After languishing for more than five years on the international real estate market, Boissiere House, a much-photographed dwelling also known as the Gingerbread House, has finally been bought and restored, and its owners have received a heritage award for the work done on the project.

The house was built in 1904 on the edge of the green space known as Queen’s Park Savannah by C.E.H. Boissière, a prominent businessman, and was long the home of mixed-race descendants of French merchants and plantation owners. In 2013 it was purchased by the Sammy family, wealthy Indo-Trinidadians who made their fortune in the island’s booming construction industry.

The family patriarch, Junior Elgin Sammy, bought the house as a gift to himself for his 61st birthday. The Sammys took ownership in November 2013, and the renovation work began immediately, said Shivonne Sammy Maharaj, Mr. Sammy’s daughter.