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South China Morning Post

Gangs burn iconic Haiti hotel that rose to international fame

Haiti's once illustrious Grand Hotel Oloffson, a beloved Gothic gingerbread home that inspired books, hosted parties until dawn and attracted visitors from Mick Jagger to Haitian presidents, was burned down by gangs this past weekend. Advertisement Hundreds of Haitians and foreigners mourned the news as it spread across social media, with the hotel manager on Monday confirming the fire in a brief comment on X. Even though gang violence had forced the hotel in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, to close in recent years, many had hoped it would reopen. 'It birthed so much culture and expression,' said Riva Précil, a Haitian-American singer who lived in the hotel from age 5 to 15. Speaking over the phone, Précil recalled how she learned to swim, dance and sing at the Oloffson. The attack on the community where the hotel was located began late Saturday, according to James Jean-Louis, who lives above the Oloffson. He told Associated Press over the phone on Sunday that he observed the flames as he and other residents were chased out while police and gangs exchanged heavy gunfire. A burning barricade in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. File photo: Reuters Journalists were unable to visit the site of the hotel in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and verify the damage because gangs control the area, which remained inaccessible. Patrick Durandis, director of the Institute for Safeguarding National Heritage, also confirmed the fire in a message to AP. Advertisement The hotel attracted artists, intellectuals and politicians from Haiti and beyond, including Jacqueline Onassis and Tennessee Williams. It also survived coups, dictatorships and the devastating 2010 earthquake.