Review
Michael Connors, who lives part of the year in St. Croix, has written about and photographed historic houses on the islands of the Caribbean for 40 years. His latest book focuses on the region’s colonial-era grand town houses and plantation great houses. The majority of these houses stand in ruins today, but a few survive. Connors, who acknowledges that much research remains to be done, writes that this book “represents the beginning of an investigative analysis of historically significant houses and of stylistic development of various designs over time.”
The Caribbean was colonized by five European powers (Spain, England, France, the Netherlands, and Denmark), each with its own architectural influences and designs, so “there is no single definitive Caribbean architectural style.” Connors devotes a chapter to each of the five colonizers. He delves into history, discusses the people and their lifestyles, and illustrates it all with gorgeous full-color photos.
Connors dedicates this book “to the indigenous Amerindians and enslaved African West Indians who shouldered the labor” of building these magnificent houses.