The house is also remarkably intact. The family that has owned it for 104 years has made very few modifications to the structure or to its main outbuildings. The degree of preservation is rare, and the layout of the house tells us a great deal about domestic life circa 1904.
Finally, because of its prominent position on Queen's Park West, the Boissiere House is a major Port of Spain landmark, familiar to hundreds of thousands of residents and visitors. It is a crucial part of the urban landscape.
Since it was built in 1904, the Boissiere House has belonged to generations of the same family, who have cared for it lovingly. But historic buildings like this are expensive to maintain properly, and the owners can no longer afford the burden.
Unfortunately, the prime location that makes the house a landmark also makes it attractive to property developers, and makes the land it sits on very valuable. A private developer acquiring the property would almost certainly demolish the house and erect a commercial building, or a block of expensive flats, in order to recover their investment. Architectural conservationists are therefore extremely concerned about the fate of the house.
It is important to note that the owners do not want to see the house demolished, but under present circumstances they cannot afford to continue to preserve it, nor can they guarantee that a possible buyer will not destroy or damage it.
The National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago has prepared a proposed National Heritage List which includes twenty-five buildings of major architectural or historic importance. The Boissiere House is one of these. When this list is approved by Cabinet, all twenty-five buildings will be legally protected from demolition, and funds may be available to assist in their preservation.
Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the Trust, the National Heritage List is yet to clear its final bureaucratic and legal hurdles. At the moment, therefore, the Boissiere House has no legal protection and there is nothing to stop a private buyer from demolishing it. The Trust is now working to fast-track the listing of the house.
Cabinet approval of the National Heritage List would be a major step, since the house would enjoy immediate legal protection. In the longer term, if the house passes into the hands of another private owner, it must be with the understanding that any commercial use will not damage its fabric. It could be bought and restored by a generous corporate citizen, or pass into public hands via a non-profit trust. There are many tried and tested models for preserving historic structures while generating income from them. If the right agreement could be made between the present owners and future buyer, overseen by the National Trust, the Boissiere House could serve as an example of how to preserve Trinidad and Tobago's architectural legacy for the future.
(Download copies of the National Trust Bill and the National Trust Act.)
Taken from Olga J. Mavrogordato's book Voices in the Street, first published 1977:
"A description of the great houses on the Savannah would not be complete without mention of the charming and interesting residence of the Boissiere family at 12 Queen's Park West. It was designed and built in 1904 by the architect Edward Bowen, a personal friend of the owner, C.E.H. Boissiere, who lived there with his family until his death. The ceilings in the drawing and dining rooms are of gesso work, done by the Italian craftsmen who did the ceilings in the Stollmeyers' house and in the Council Chamber of the Red House. The stained glass windows, with their meandering strawberry vines, in the little study with its pagoda-like roof, filter the morning sun and cast a soft light in this cheerful room. The floor tiles in the study as well as the gallery were imported from England, and the large single-slab marble steps at the entrance came from Italy.
"Mr. Boissiere's daughter is the present owner of this house which is one of great interest to visitors and residents alike, and perhaps is the most photographed house in town. It is now popularly referred to as the 'Gingerbread House.'"