Presidential Palace of Suriname
Colonial builders (individual architects not recorded) · Paramaribo, Suriname · 1730
Suriname's Presidential Palace is a prominent example of the colonial timber architecture of Paramaribo. The building developed from an eighteenth-century governmental residence and acquired later extensions and alterations. Its pale frontage, galleries and roof forms establish a formal relationship with Independence Square, while the palm garden lies behind the compound. The palace's architectural significance is best understood within the wider historic city, where material, climate and colonial administrative functions shaped a distinctive urban building culture. Visiting: A working presidential compound. The architectural experience is from the public square and surrounding streets.