The Palais de la Belle Rivière was built in 1820 by Louis Dupeyrac to serve as a royal residence for king Henri Christophe, next to his residence in Milot, the Sans-Souci Palace.[1][3] It was still under construction, when the Kingdom of Haiti fell in 1820 due to revolution and the king suffering a stroke.[3] Shortly afterwards, he committed suicide—according to legend, by shooting himself with a silver bullet.[4] Therefore, the palace was never completed, and the intended second floor was not realized.[3]
Henri Christophe I constructed the palace to consolidate his power in the vast and rich agricultural Artibonite region, which bordered to the republic of South Haiti, which was ruled by General Alexandre Pétion.[5] Henri was known for his construction works: He built six châteaux, eight palaces and the massive Citadel Henri, now known as Citadelle Laferrière, on a mountain near Milot.[6] The Sans-Souce palace was his most famous palace. Although in ruins today, this is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Palace has a rectangular plan, 68 metres long and 11 metres wide.[1] Its west facade is backed by a vast rotunda, 12 meters in diameter.[1] The walls of the palace are made of stone masonry and clay bricks bonded with lime mortar.[1]
The first restoration work was undertaken in 1932, when the first campaign to safeguard Haiti's monuments started.[1] Although, the restoration did probably not meet the rules of restoration, it slowed down the deterioration of the ruins and protected them against bad weather.[1] In the second half of the 20th century, the building housed a municipal primary school and lodged various offices of the State and the Municipality.[5] The palace also housed the local office of the National Security Volunteers (VSN), the Tonton Macoute, which was disbanded in 1986.[5]
In 1995, the president of Haiti declared the palace national heritage and placed it in hands of the local municipality.[5] Another restoration followed after the 2010 earthquake, the palace was restored from its dilapidated state.[7] However today, the palace is still in poor condition and deteriorating again.