Government House Restoration.

A residence of national consequence, returned to public function.

Government House is the official residence of the Governor-General of Antigua & Barbuda — a building of constitutional weight, ceremonial use, and architectural significance. After years of deterioration, the restoration was commissioned by The Heritage Trust of Antigua & Barbuda, on behalf of the Office of the Governor-General, and made possible through the philanthropy of Sir David Harrison and the Harrison Foundation.

Curisa Smith was appointed Architect for the restoration directly by His Excellency Sir Rodney Williams, GCMG, the Governor-General of Antigua & Barbuda. She led the project's delivery — heritage documentation, design coordination, construction administration, code compliance, contractor management, and the certifications required to return a nationally significant building to legitimate public function — supported by an advisory heritage consultant.

Step back. Let the building speak.

Heritage work asks the architect to step back. The building has already made its statement; the job is to recover it, not overwrite it.

Across the restoration, decisions favoured the original where the original held — original fabric retained, original geometry respected, original detail catalogued and reinstated. Contemporary intervention was accepted only where required by life-safety code, climate durability, or the practical demands of the building's continued public use. The result is a building that reads as itself, fully restored.

A flagship for the practice and the region.

The reopening in 2026 returned a nationally significant building to ceremonial and public use. The project also established something on the public record: that a Caribbean-based practice can deliver heritage work of constitutional weight to international standards — on the island, with full technical authority on site.

The work positions the studio for further institutional commissions across the region.

A national conversation about the building.

In the lead-up to and following the building's reopening, Curisa appeared in public conversations about the restoration — situating the work within its national, ceremonial, and architectural context.