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Tucked into the heart of Port-au-Prince and draped in history, mystique, and artistic flair, the Hotel Oloffson was one of Haiti’s most iconic cultural landmarks. More than just a hotel, the Oloffson served as a living monument to the country’s tumultuous past, creative spirit, and enduring charm, until it was tragically destroyed by fire on July 6, 2025 during a violent gang attack.
From Private Mansion to Literary Sanctuary
Originally built in the late 19th century as a private home for the Sam family, one of Haiti’s prominent elite families, the building was transformed into a military hospital during the U.S. occupation in the early 20th century. It wasn’t until 1935 that it officially became a hotel, drawing foreign dignitaries, writers, diplomats, and wanderers into its labyrinth of gingerbread architecture and old-world grandeur.
The mansion’s ornate wooden fretwork and tropical gardens captivated artists and intellectuals from around the globe. One of its most notable guests was American novelist Graham Greene, who immortalized the hotel in his 1966 novel The Comedians, where he fictionalized the Oloffson as the “Hotel Trianon.” His depiction embedded the hotel’s name in literary and political lore, cementing its role as a backdrop to Haiti’s complex and often painful history.
A Stage for Politics and Performance
For decades, the Oloffson served as a neutral meeting ground where politicians, journalists, activists, and foreign correspondents gathered out of the spotlight. Its veranda bar and tile-floored lobby became informal forums where Haiti’s past, present, and future were debated over rum and music.
Perhaps no era was more symbolic of the Oloffson’s cultural significance than the 1990s and early 2000s. During this time, American-born Haitian musician Richard A. Morse, son of Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines, took over management. Morse formed the legendary mizik rasin band RAM, which performed every Thursday night in the hotel’s courtyard. The performances became a cultural ritual, merging Vodou rhythms with rock and protest lyrics. The hotel’s live shows during that time drew locals, tourists, and international observers alike. The Oloffson emerged not just as a hotel but as a beacon of creative resistance.
A Home for the Arts
Over the decades, the Oloffson became a haven for artists, filmmakers, and photographers. Its corridors were adorned with paintings by Haitian masters, and each room was named after a famed guest or historical figure, giving the space an atmosphere that was more museum than motel.
Guests included everyone from Mick Jagger and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis to Jean-Claude Duvalier and countless foreign correspondents. Despite Haiti’s frequent social upheavals, the hotel remained open through earthquakes, coups, and economic collapse. In many ways, it reflected Haiti itself, surviving, evolving, and retaining its soul.
Tragic End: Destroyed by Fire Amid Gang Violence
That resilience came to a heartbreaking end on July 6, 2025, when armed gang members set fire to the Hotel Oloffson during a wave of violent attacks across Port-au-Prince. The hotel, long admired for its gingerbread Gothic architecture and cultural significance, was burned to the ground. Flames consumed the century-old wooden structure overnight, leaving only scorched rubble behind.
At the time of the attack, law enforcement had lost control of large sections of the capital, and the neighborhood surrounding the hotel had become a conflict zone. The fire raged uncontested. By morning, one of Haiti’s most beloved landmarks had vanished, reduced to ash.
Journalists and preservationists have since been unable to access the site, which remains under gang control. The hotel’s current state is one of complete devastation, and no formal efforts to recover or rebuild have begun.
Richard Morse, who left Haiti in 2022 for safety reasons, expressed sorrow and disbelief. “There’s no life without hope. We have to consider bringing Haiti back and bringing the hotel back,” he said in a public statement following the fire.
A Legacy That Will Outlive the Flames
Though the building is gone, the legacy of the Hotel Oloffson will continue to live on in Haitian literature, music, and collective memory. It was more than a hotel. It was a refuge for expression, a safe harbor for dialogue, and a gallery of Haiti’s creative and revolutionary soul.
Its destruction is not only a cultural loss, but a tragic symbol of the broader collapse of security and heritage in a country struggling for survival. Still, for those who remember what the Oloffson represented, freedom, art, community, and endurance, it remains a powerful reminder of all Haiti has created and everything it must protect.
Hotel Oloffson: Ikòn Otèl Ayiti ki Te Chaje ak Istwa, Mistè, ak Lavi Atistik, Koulye a Disparèt nan Dife
Kache nan kè Pòtoprens, Hotel Oloffson te youn nan pi gwo senbòl kilti ak eritaj Ayiti. Otèl la pa t sèlman yon kote pou dòmi, li te tounen yon moniman vivan ki te rakonte listwa boulvèsan peyi a, lespri kreyatif li, ak cham li ki pa janm fini. Malerezman, sou 6 jiyè 2025, li te fin detwi nèt nan yon dife ki te koze pa gang ame.
Soti nan Rezidans Prive pou vin Senbòl Literè
Nan fen 19yèm syèk la, otèl la te bati kòm kay fanmi Sam, youn nan gwo fanmi elit nan peyi a. Pandan Okipasyon Ameriken an, yo te transfòme kay la an lopital militè. Se an 1935 li te vin tounen yon otèl, ki te atire diplomat, ekriven, ak moun k ap chèche enspirasyon anba achitekti jenjanb li a ak jaden twopikal li yo.
Youn nan envite ki te make istwa otèl la se ekriven Ameriken Graham Greene, ki te itilize li kòm baz pou roman li The Comedians an 1966. Li te rebatize otèl la “Hotel Trianon” nan liv li, e sa te mete Oloffson kòm yon senbòl politik ak literè, tache ak reyalite difisil Ayiti.
Yon Sèn pou Politik ak Pèfòmans
Pandan plizyè deseni, Oloffson te sèvi kòm yon espas net kote politisyen, jounalis, ak militan te konn rankontre an kachèt. Galri li yo, balkon li yo, ak bar li te tounen espas kote lavni Ayiti te konn diskite sou yon vè tafya ak son mizik an dirèk.
Nan ane 1990 yo ak kòmansman 2000 yo, otèl la te pran plis valè lè mizisyen Ameriken ki gen rasin ayisyen, Richard A. Morse (pitit chantè tradisyonèl Emerante de Pradines), te pran direksyon li. Li te fonde gwoup mizik rasin RAM, ki te konn jwe chak jedi swa nan lakou otèl la. Mizik yo te melanje rit Vodou ak son wòch ak mesaj rebèl, e pèfòmans sa yo te vin tounen rityèl kiltirèl pou lokal yo, vizitè yo, ak obsèvatè entènasyonal.
Yon Kay pou Atis
Otèl la te tounen refij pou atis, sinematograf, ak fotograf. Galri li yo te dekore ak tablo pa gran pent ayisyen. Chak chanm te pote non yon vizitè seleb, sa ki te fè li sanble plis ak yon mize pase ak yon otèl.
Pami moun ki te pase ladan l genyen Mick Jagger, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Jean-Claude Duvalier, ak plizyè lòt figi enpòtan. Otèl la te siviv tranbleman tè 2010 lan, koudeta, kriz ekonomik, ak enstabilite politik. Li te vin tounen yon refleksyon sou lespwa Ayiti.
Tragedi: Dife Gang Mete Fin Detwi Otèl la
Espwa sa a te fini nan doulè sou 6 jiyè 2025, lè gang ame mete dife nan otèl la pandan zak vyolans ki t ap dewoule nan Pòtoprens. Oloffson, ki te yon bijou achitekti jenjanb ak eritaj nasyonal, te boule nèt. Pa t gen okenn entèvansyon otorite paske zòn nan te anba kontwòl gang.
Nan maten, otèl la pa t egziste ankò. Se te pousyè ak sann ki te rete. Jounalis ak espesyalis pa ka antre sou sit la jounen jodi a, paske li toujou okipe pa gang. Pa gen okenn efò rekonstriksyon ki lanse jiskaprezan.
Richard Morse, ki te kite Ayiti an 2022 pou rezon sekirite, te fè konnen li trè boulvèse. Li di, “Pa gen lavi san espwa. Nou dwe panse a rebati Ayiti, e petèt rebati otèl la tou.”
Eritaj ki Pi Gwo Pase Sann yo
Malgre otèl la pa la fizikman ankò, lespri li ap viv toujou nan literati ayisyen, mizik, ak memwa kolektif. Oloffson te plis pase yon otèl. Li te yon espas lib pou ekspresyon, dyalòg, ak reyalizasyon kiltirèl.
Disparisyon li se pa sèlman yon pèt fizik, men li se tou yon siy gwo danje ki ap menase kilti ak eritaj Ayiti. Sepandan, pou tout moun ki konnen valè li te genyen, Oloffson rete vivan nan kè pèp la, kòm yon senbòl libète, kominyon, ak kreyativite.
