A landmark initiative to preserve one of Dominica’s most culturally significant traditional wooden structures is moving forward, after the Society for Historic Architectural Preservation and Enhancement (SHAPE) secured regional funding to launch the restoration of a historic 1850s ti kai in Roseau. Backed by a Caribbean Collaboration grant from the Caribbean Culture Fund (CCF), the project is being carried out in partnership with the Saba Heritage Center as a core component of SHAPE’s ongoing Resilient Houses Project, focused on protecting at-risk Caribbean traditional architecture.
Located at 14 Hillsborough Street, the ti kai is currently owned by local business Prevo Cinemall, which has made the decision to save the structure from demolition rather than clearing the site for a modern concrete development. According to Prevo Cinemall Chairman Norris Prevost, the acquisition of the property aligns with the company’s long-term vision to build a connected heritage hub in the heart of Roseau, making the partnership with SHAPE a natural fit for their goals.
Unlike basic structural restoration projects, this initiative will reimagine the historic ti kai as a dynamic, multi-use community space centered on cultural exchange, education, and local economic empowerment. Working alongside Valarie Honore from the I Have a Right Foundation, the project team plans to open an on-site youth-run café, where participants in the foundation’s social programs can build hands-on small business and hospitality skills. The venue will also host a dedicated museum highlighting the ti kai’s centuries-long history and cultural roots, plus an affordable secondhand and independent bookshop focused on works by Caribbean and Dominican authors—including titles from local independent publisher Papillote Press. The bookshop will be managed by acclaimed Dominican writer Joanne Skerrett, best known for her works *Island Man* and *Abraham’s Treasure*. In collaboration with the Waitukubuli Artists Association, the restored building will also host rotating art exhibitions, literary readings, and community cultural events for residents and visitors alike.
SHAPE President Marica Honychurch emphasized that the project is rooted in a core belief: historic structures are far more than old buildings—they are living repositories of collective community memory and shared cultural experience. By restoring the Roseau ti kai, the organization is not only protecting Dominica’s unique architectural legacy, but also ensuring the stories tied to the space are passed down to future generations.
A key secondary goal of the restoration is to raise public awareness of the distinctive construction techniques that define Dominican ti kai, which evolved from a blend of Kalinago, West African, and European building traditions adapted specifically to the Caribbean’s tropical climate and hurricane-prone weather. Despite their proven natural resilience to extreme storms, these historic wooden structures are facing growing threats from unregulated modern development and accidental fire. Recent blazes in Roseau have underscored how vulnerable the island’s remaining built heritage has become in recent decades.
The project draws inspiration from *Still Standing*, a 2023 book by Adom Philogene Heron with photography by Honychurch, which documents surviving ti kai structures across Dominica and outlines the urgent need for their protection. Beyond local conservation, SHAPE’s partnership with the Saba Heritage Center is designed to foster broader regional cooperation, creating space for knowledge sharing around best practices for protecting historic structures while adapting them for sustainable modern use.
At its core, the Resilient Houses Project aims to serve as a replicable model: proving that heritage conservation does not have to be a static, purely preservation-focused exercise. Instead, it can protect irreplaceable traditional architecture while creating vibrant, inclusive public spaces that support cultural expression, community connection, and intergenerational learning for all of Dominica.