ZEVALLOS HOUSE

From the road, you can sense the colonial era still hovering behind the gate over this dwelling so different from the surrounding traditional houses. The fine, elegant ironwork, long metal structures, pink-tiled roof and loggia on the upper floor: these details immediately classify this residence as coming from the best Parisian workshops of the late ^19th century.

Research is underway to discover its true history. A wealthy Louisiana resident commissioned Gustave Eiffel to build two houses for each of his daughters. Manufactured in Levallois-Perret, they were loaded onto a ship bound for New Orleans, but during a heavy storm, the vessel was rerouted to the nearest port, Pointe-à-Pitre. The delay prompted the ship's captain to auction off the cargo, fearing he would have to pay default interest to his sponsor. One of them was bought by Ernest Souquès, manager of the Darboussier sugar factory, now the Saint John-Perse Museum in Pointe-à-Pitre. The other was acquired by Stanley Auguste Duchassaing de Fontbressin, owner of the Zévallos sugar factory, who had it built between 1873 and 1875. The 18-metre-high chimney still bears witness to the factory's former power. Zévallos was the very first central factory in Guadeloupe.

Legends abound about this house. Locals claim that it is haunted and that ghostly screams are heard at night. The cries of workers murdered on the orders of the master, Count Hector Parisis de Zévallos, in order to quell a revolt. The ringleaders perished in the factory furnace.

The site is preserved by the "Friends of Zévallos" association. A listed heritage site since 1990, Maison Zévallos has been selected by the Fondation du Patrimoine and has been granted €500,000 in 2020 to restore the site. The chimney, which was in danger of collapsing, was restored. Archaeological digs have yielded results unprecedented in the archipelago in terms of historical research into the economy of Guadeloupe's industrial era. These results, together with the artefacts found, will be presented in the site's future interpretation center. Extensive restoration work at Zévallos is currently underway and will last two years, forcing the site to close during this period. However, special tours are organized to discover the secrets of the site (see website).