Link : The Guardian website
Client : The Guardian
Category : Journalism, Writing, Production

Once a haven for the world’s rich and famous, the landmark hotel was burned down this month as violence gripped Port-au-Prince

Etienne Côté-Paluck and Natricia Duncan
Fri 18 Jul 2025

There was an outpouring of grief in Haiti when the Hotel Oloffson, a cultural and architectural landmark in Port-au-Prince, was set ablaze on the night of 5 July, in what local media described as retaliation by armed gangs after a police operation in its vicinity.

For many, its ruins are a stark and sobering symbol of the state of a capital city on the verge of collapse, and a sign that a once vibrant culture may be fading as violent criminal armed groups continue their reign of terror.

The 19th-century mansion, built in 1887 in the ornate “gingerbread” style, once welcomed celebrities including Elizabeth Taylor, Mick Jagger and Graham Greene. A magnet for the world’s rich and famous in the 1960s and 70s, it was reborn in the 80s as a hub for vodou musicians and a refuge for foreign correspondents.

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Cover photo : Jenny Matthews/Alamy