Ganamet House, Colonial house in Grand-Bassam, Côte d'Ivoire.
Ganamet House is a colonial building in Grand-Bassam with a neoclassical facade featuring ionic columns, plaster pilasters, and a full-length balcony with openwork reinforced cement railings. The ground floor holds shops and storage areas, while upper floors are reached by a staircase at the rear.
Built in 1920, the house originally belonged to a Gold Coast resident before being purchased by Mr. Ganamet, a Lebanese-Syrian merchant in colonial Grand-Bassam. Its ownership change reflected the shifting commercial and residential patterns in the town.
The house blends European and Middle Eastern design in how rooms are organized around a central hallway on each floor, with matching layouts on both sides. This arrangement reflects the living customs the owner brought from his homeland.
Visitors need to access the rear staircase to reach the upper floors, so some areas are not visible from the street outside. Exploring the surrounding colonial structures helps understand the broader layout and history of this neighborhood.
The mansard roof is a rare feature in the Grand-Bassam area and stands out from the flat or simple rooflines typical of other local buildings. This architectural detail shows the owner's desire to blend European building styles with his home.
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