Gothic House (Public Works Department Building), Cape Coast

The Gothic House, widely known in Cape Coast as the Public Works Department (PWD) building, is a 19th-century Gothic Revival structure in the Central Region of Ghana. It is described as a visible and distinctive part of the cultural heritage of Cape Coast Oguaa and as a reminder of the Gold Coast era. Its name comes from its Gothic Revival style of decoration, and the building is noted for features including gargoyles and angels.

The house was built in the 19th century by the British merchant James Dawson, who married a local Fante woman in 1815. Ownership later passed from the Dawson family to Thomas Hutton in 1853. Over time the building housed the Public Works Department and various government organisations, which is how its more familiar local name arose.

In 1890 the property became that of Jacob Wilson-Sey, also known as Kwaa Bonyi, who later transferred it to the Gold Coast government before his death in 1905. Wilson-Sey was the founder of the Aborigines' Rights Protection Society, and the Gothic House is associated with that history. Together with Victoria Park, now Jubilee Park, it illustrates the story of the struggle and triumphs of the Society.

The building is now associated with the Oguaa Traditional Council's palace, named the Emintsimadze Palace. The Council decided to rehabilitate the ancient building into a modern palace, an intention announced by Nana Kwesi Atta II, Paramount Chief of the Oguaa Traditional Area.

The Gothic House stands in Cape Coast, in the Cape Coast Metropolitan District of the Central Region, and sources place it adjacent to Victoria Park, now Jubilee Park. No precise coordinates or street address were found in the sources consulted, so visitors should confirm the exact location and whether the building can be entered before planning a visit. Its interest lies chiefly in its architecture and its place in Cape Coast's civic and political history.