Continuing the OAA Summer Sketches series, we're featuring a drawing by Oluwaseun Olukoya.
"This summer, during an architectural documentation program by Vernacular Heritage Initiative (VHI) in Calabar, I had the opportunity to engage directly with one of Nigeria’s most remarkable architectural heritage—the Egbo Egbo Bassey House. Inspired by this experience and drawn with pencil by me, it empathizes on its current state of conservation.
Built between 1883 and 1886, this rare two-storey wooden buildiing was prefabricated in Scotland using Scandinavian pine and cast iron columns from Glasgow’s McFarlene Foundry. Shipped and assembled in Old Calabar, this building represents a unique fusion of Victorian craftsmanship and Efik cultural influence.
The house features ornate plaster cornices, stained-glass windows, and a decorative metal roof adorned with a weathercock. Above the entrance, the inscription reads: Egbo Egbo Bassey Esq., Old Calabar, 1886.
It is believed to have hosted Calabar’s first Roman Catholic Mass around 1902. It was declared a National Monument of Nigeria in 1959, and handed over to the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) during its first 100 years celebration in 1986. Vacant since 2009, it has suffered significant structural decay, with deteriorating wooden floors and walls now partially protected by emergency metal sheets.
Through this drawing, I aimed to honor the architectural elegance and enduring spirit of the Egbo Egbo Bassey House—a symbol of cultural resilience and historical legacy in Old Calabar."
Click here to see more OAA Summer Sketches.