Red House (Port of Spain)
| Red House | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Data | |
| place |
Port of Spain Trinidad and Tobago |
| architect | Richard Bridgens (1844) Daniel M. Hahn (1903) |
| Client |
Henry MacLeod (1844) Henry Jackson (1903) |
| Architectural style | Beaux Arts |
| Construction year | 1844-1848 |
| height | 34 m |
| Coordinates | 10 ° 39 '11.5 " N , 61 ° 30' 41.8" W |
The Red House is a building in Port of Spain , the capital of the Caribbean island state of Trinidad and Tobago . It now houses the country's parliament.
location
The Red House is located in the center of Port of Spains in the Downtown district. It is immediately adjacent to Woodford Square , a central square in the city, to the west . The district court, various ministries and the Holy Trinity Cathedral are in the immediate vicinity .
history
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Governor Henry MacLeod commissioned the building and laid the foundation stone on February 16, 1844 . The design came from the head of the building authority Richard Bridgens. The construction dragged on until 1848, the commissioning was carried out by MacLeod's successor George Harris . At that time it was still two independent buildings, an ensemble Government Buildings ( government buildings were called) and (today's Sackville Street) were separated by the Lower Prince Street: The premises of the Legislative Council was north of the road, the courthouse south . Both buildings were connected by an archway at the level of the first floor; in the center a stone arch spanned Lower Prince Street. During the riot of 1849 , violent protests by the population against a law on the handling of prisoners, the northern building was damaged by demonstrators. Both houses have been heavily modified over time, for example extensions for the government archive and the registrar's office have been built. At the end of the 19th century, both buildings were merged into one building. On the occasion of the 60th jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897 the facade of the house was painted red; the color has been retained to this day and soon led to the name "Red House" for the building.
During the Water Riots , violent protests by the population against an increase in water prices, the Red House was burned down by demonstrators in 1903. 16 people were killed by the fire. It was rebuilt by 1907 according to plans by the German-born architect Daniel Meinerts Hahn, who also designed the Queen's Royal College . Until 1962, the Red House housed the legislative council, and from the independence of Trinidad then the parliament of the newly founded country. On August 30, 1962, the building was the scene of the independence flag ceremony. In 1990 the Red House was stormed during a parliamentary debate as part of a coup attempt by members of the radical Muslim organization Jamaat al Muslimeen and held for six days. The coup attempt cost 24 lives, including that of MP Leo Des Vignes.
Architectural style
The building from 1844 looked very powerful for the Caribbean conditions at the time; the floors were unusually high and the neoclassical decorations were reminiscent of European architecture. The British historian Bridget Brereton explains this design with the special status of the Trinidad colony within the British Empire; Trinidad had been British since 1797, but the British were only a minority, the English language was only used for official business and the population was multicultural and predominantly Catholic. According to Brereton, the construction of the Government Buildings should symbolize the rule of Great Britain over the island.
The current building is in the Beaux Arts style; the Trinidadian historian Michael Anthony also sees stylistic elements of the French Renaissance . The two wings, which were originally independent buildings, lead into a 34 meter high central building crowned by a dome. The building had a statue in the form of a sea serpent on the top of the dome , but this was replaced in 1992 by a copper statue in the form of a dove with an olive branch in its beak. The facade is decorated with neoclassical decorative elements that were completely manufactured in England and transported by ship to Trinidad.
In a rotunda on the ground floor of the central building is a fountain that was designed by Meinerts Hahn and was intended to provide cooling and air circulation at the time. Numerous decorations made of jasperware are affixed to the ceiling of the Chamber of Representatives . The podium in this hall is made of amaranth and was also designed by Meinerts Hahn. Also in the plenary chamber are busts of Arthur Cipriani and the first mayor of Port of Spain, Louis de Verteuil .
Web links
- Entry on the website of the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago
- Entry on the website of the National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago
- Educational film of the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago on YouTube
Individual evidence
- ↑ Michael Anthony: Historical Dictionary of Trinidad and Tobago . Scarecrow Press, London 1997, ISBN 0-8108-3173-2 , pp. 472 .
- ↑ a b Michael Anthony: Historic Landmarks of Port of Spain . Macmillan Caribbean, Oxford 2008, ISBN 978-0-333-97555-8 , pp. 25 .
- ^ Gérard A. Besson & Bridget Brereton: The Book of Trinidad . Paria Publishing, Port of Spain 2010, ISBN 978-976-8054-36-4 , pp. 370 .
- ^ Olga J. Mavrogordato: Voices in the Street . Inprint Caribbean, Port of Spain 1977, pp. 87 .