Local contractor, the Junior Sammy group, has achieved international acclaim for the restoration of the historic Boissiere House property.
Just two weeks ago, an article in the New York times lauded the local group for the work that went into restoring the house.
The New York Times article described Boissiere House as "languishing" before the Sammys stepped in and purchased it for just over $20 million two years ago.
The contractor's daughters accepted the Best Historic Restoration Project (Small) at the fourth Biennial National Heritage last year after the restoration was complete.
The house, built back in 1904, was left largely unattended until the Sammy family bought the property.
The article describes the Sammy family as "wealthy Indo-Trinidadians who made their fortune in the island's booming construction industry."
"The family patriarch, Junior Elgin Sammy, bought the house as a gift to himself for his 61st birthday.
The Sammys took ownership in November 2013, and the renovation work began immediately, said Shivonne Sammy Maharaj, Mr Sammy's daughter.
The restoration work was carried out under the supervision of the heritage architect Rudylynn De Four Robert."
The article also heaped praise on the Sammy group for making the "rare" step to purchase the dilapidated property and then spend money to restore and preserve it.
"The decision by Mr Sammy to buy and renovate the house was a rare one on an island with little tradition of preserving its built heritage," the article noted.
The Sammy group confirmed the interview with the New York Times to the Sunday Guardain, saying that the purchase of the house had fulfilled the family's patriarch Junior Sammy's childhood dream.
Sammy (Junior) has ensured that the house remains in the family as part of his legacy.
See story here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/27/greathomesanddestinations/a-heritage-building-lives-on-in-trinidad.html?_r=0.
The story was written by local freelance writer Jewel Fraser.