Traditional Houses

Architecture - Basse-Terre

Basse-Terre possesses numerous well-preserved examples of upper-middle-class and traditional Antilles houses from the 18th and 19th centuries. Some are constructed of wood with colonnades and gallery porches; others are made of quarry stone or volcanic rock with wrought iron balconies, two or three stories, and dormer roofs. The courtyard often contains servant quarters. The ground floor, often of masonry, housed small businesses. The garrets featured dormers with backward sloping roofs that served to bring light and air into the entire house. A number of houses (Maison Chapp, Maison Matis, Maison Coquille, Maison Liensol…) have been inscribed or classified as historic monuments.