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i- ! Form 10-306 (Oct. 1972) ^ // /^ 3- Y UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM FOR FEDERAL PROPERTIES (Type all entries - complete applicable sections) Virgin I.slanHg St. Croix FOR NFS USE ONLY ENTRY DATE L NAA<£ ...................... ................ Christiansted National Historic Site AND/OR HISTORIC; _____Wharf Area, Christiansted 2. LOCATION STREET AND NUMBER: Christiansted National Historic Site -RECEIVED —1 ^ ^ ^976 NATIONAL CITY OR TOWN: _____Christiansted, St. Croix Virgin Islands CODE 078 CONORESSIONAlNdTS^ICT: register Virgin Islan^^ St. Croix TV —---- f ..^ODE 0800 I 3. CLASSIFICATION 3 oe H </> Z lU Ul (/> CATEGORY (Check One) OWNERSHIP STATUS ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC District □ Building rxi Public Public Acquisition: Occupied Yes: l/> z □ Site □ Structure 1 1 Private 1 1 In Process 1 1 Unoccupied 1 1 Restricted o □ Object 1 1 Both r~l Being Considered 1 1 Preservation work 1X1 Unrestricted H In progress □ No u PRESENT USE (Check One or More as d4ppropria(e^ [ I Agricultural I 1 Commercial I 1 Educational I I Entertainment Government I 1 Industrial I I Military X 1 Museum m Po*-k I 1 Privote Residence 1 I Religious I 1 Scientific I I Tronsportation n Other (Specify) I 1 Comments 4. AGENCY '• ___________ National Park Service REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS: (If applicable) Southeast Region CITY OR TOWN: Atlanta STREET AND NUMBER: 1895 Phoenix Boulevard STATE: Georgia 30349 I 5. LOCATION OF LEGAL OESCRtPTlOM ^ | COURTHOUSE. REGISTRY OF DEEDS, ETC: Registry of Deeds, Government House STREET AND NUMBER: King Street CITY OR TOWN: Christiansted, St. Croix Virgin Islands CODE 078 6. REPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS. TITLE OF SURVEY; _____ Customs House "Historic Amprirm DATE OF SURVEY: 1957-1%] [3 Federal □State Fort Christiansyaem,.Scale House, Steeple Building, Old Customs House^ Historic Amfiriran RnilH-ing ____ I 1 County n Local DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS: Library of Congress STREET AND NUMBER; Capitol Hill CITY OR TOWN; Washington STATE: D.C. H*3 hH in M CONDITION I 1 Excellent Pn Good □ Foir (Check One) I I Deterioroted I I Ruins { 1 Unexposed (Check One) [g Altered [~1 Unaltered (Check One) Moved [21 Original Site DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (if known) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE Preservation and Restoration Recommended: The town of Christiansted was established in the second quarter o£ the 18th century by the Danish West India and Guinea Company on the site of the earlier French settlement of Basin. As the main port of St. Croix, Christiansted developed rapidly and in the second half of the 18th century became extronely prosperous on the sugar economy of the Islands. In 1755, Christiansted became the capital of the Danish West Indies and remained as such until 1871 when the seat of the colonial government returned to Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas. Christiansted National Historic Site was established in 1952 to preserve the center of Christiansted as an outstanding example of Danish colonial development in the Lesser Antilles. It includes the old wharf area in the center of Christiansted and six buildings of high architectural order repre­ senting different functions of the government-of the islands when they were at the height of their prosperity. 1. Government House (No. H-1) It is a large two and three story masonry structure that faces on King and Queen Cross Street, half a block from the wharf area. "U" shaped in plan, around a center courtyard, open towards the north, it measures 270 feet by 135 feet. The three and two story wing on King Street contains Virgin Islands Government offices on the ground floor, the formal reception rooms and the court on the second floor, and the official St. Croix residence of the Governor of the Virgin Islands. The two story south wing on Queen Cross Street houses court chambers and Virgin Islands Government offices. The two story east wing facing on the landscaped courtyard contains offices, services and general maintenance and support facilities for the building. It was originally two separate structures. The Johan Vilhelm Schopen^ house on King Street dating from 1747 was a two story structure. It has been preserved in the central part of the existing building. The Schopen house was purchased by the government' iii 1771 as a residence for the f governor and in 1776 a third "attic" story over the central section was added under a manzard roof. The S^5bi6tkergaard on the comer of King and Queen Cross Street was built between 1794-97 by the planter and merchant Adam S(i5b(6tker. Acquired by the Colonial Government in 1828 for use as offices, it was joined to Gov­ ernment House in the 1830*s. As part of the same expansion, the manzard roof of the Schopen house was replaced by the existing full third story and the piazza and monumental staircase on the north end of the building was added. In the 1930’s, Government House was rehabilitated with a reason­ able attention to its original architectural features, but with some changes to the interior. (Continued) Page 1 of 10 pages c/* m m z V* H 70 C n o z </» Form 10-300o (July 1969) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIOHAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM (Coatinuation Sheet) STATE Virgin Islands COUNTY St. Croix FOR NFS USE ONLY ENTRY NUMBER DATE (Numbor mtl entriBa) It is in good structural condition. Presently, it is used as offices for the Virgin Islands Government and the Federal District Court. The grounds, the formal reception rooms, the ballroom on the second story with period furnish­ ings and the old kitchen in the rear wing of the structure are open to the public Government House is owned by the Federal Government but managed by the Virgin Islands Government with architectural control by cooperative agree­ ment vested in the National Park Service. Government House reflects three different architectural style's. On King Streeli the two lower stories designed and built by Johan Vilhelm Schopen with local labor and artisans employed by the Danish West India and Guinea Com­ pany still retains the barogue details and features characteristic s of the architecture popular in Denmark during the early 18th century. The simpler and more delicate details of the S^b^tkergaard represents a nordic version of the more restrained architecture of the Louis XVI period adapted to a locally developed architectural vernacular expressed in the open arched galleries. The addition made during the 1830s, the third story of the Schopen house, the formal staircase and piazza on the north end of the west wing and the two story, three-bay section that connects the Schopen house and the S^b^tkergaard exhibit classical revival details modified and scaled to har­ monize with the earlier architectural details. The design of these additions, built by the colonial government, have been credited to the Danish Military architect Lt. J. Gjelierup. The reception rooms have some antique furniture and three portraits of note. Two original ones respectively of King Frederik the VII of Denmark and of Governor General Peter van Scholten, the latter by the Connecticut painter Metcalf. The third is a copy of an early portrait of Alexander Hamilton now hanging in the White House. The ballroom is furnished with replicas of its original chandeliers, wall scounces, mirrors and taburets. A Significance Longitude 64° 42'-04" Acreage Recommended treatment: Preliminary cost est: First order Latitude 17° 44'-53" 0.95 acre Preservation and adaptive restoration $120,000.00 NATln Register Page 2 of 10 pages GPO 921-724 ronn 10-300a me f national UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM (Continuation Sheet) STATE Virgin Islands COUNTY St. Croix FOR NPS USE ONLY ENTRY NUMBER DATE ilding (H-2) Formerly known as "The Church of Our Lord of It is a one-story rubble masonry and brick structure 77' x 31' facing on Company Street with a 18' x 14' 4 tiered tower, 72 feet high centered on and projecting from the west side of the building. The building was constructed 1750-53 as a Lutheran Church and the tower was added in 1794. A small churchyard extends to the east and north, surrounded by a wood picket fence between brick pillars. Two arched brick gateways on Company Street provide access to the churchyard and the steeple building. In 1831 the Lutheran con­ gregation sold the Steeple Building to the government after acquiring the for­ mer Dutch Reformed Church on King Street. It was converted into a military bakery and warehouse. Later it served as a community hall, hospital and elementary school. In the early sixties, the Steeple Building was restored by the National Park Service to its appearance of 1800 under the supervision of Historical Architect F. C. Gjessing, NPS. Owned and operated by the National Park Service, it now serves as a museum. The churchyard is land­ scaped but has not been included in the restoration except for the fence. The building is in good structural condition. The bxxilding has the restrained formality and classical details of 18th century Nordic architecture that developed out of earlier Baroque traditions. The 1750-1753 structure has been preserved in two walls, the gable end on Church Street and the facade toward Company Street. The two other walls were recoi, structed partially on the original foundations in the restoration of the 1960s. It was and is a severely simple structure symmetrical, well proportioned and without architectural adornments beyond a cornice. The steeply piched hippec roof is shingled and the walls plastered and stuccoed. The interior has no subdivisions. The ceiling is wood. Deep and high quarter circle coves spring ing up from a fairly heavy wood cornice supports a central flat section. An organ gallery supported on turned wood columns stretches across the south end of the interior. The floor is paved in marble and brick. The church was conceived as a hall church with altar, baptismal font and pul­ pit, all grouped about the center of the long wall opposite the entrance. The original furnishings, many of which have been preserved in the present Lutheran Church outside the National Historic Site, are elaborate and color­ ful in contrast to the simplicity of the building. The tower added in 1794 and preserved in toto was built in front of the orig­ inal entrance centered in the west wall on Company Street and for its lower story, served as a vestibule to the church. The exterior is plastered. It has an articulated base and panels of quoins flanking arched doorways to the north and south and toward the west an arched window opening. The first ___________________________________________ ________ GPO 921-724 1 I Form 10-300o (July 1969) received m ^ NATIONAL entr tier of t maia b UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE TIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM (Continuation Sheet) Virgin Islands COUNTY St. Croix FOR NFS USE ONLY ENTRY NUMBER DATE < er terminates in a cornice that continues in the cornice of the bf the church. In the second tier, also plastered brick masonry, ih panels of the first tier continue in double pilasters with bases and caps of the Tuscan order flanking arched window openings and supporting an architrave and a second and more articulated cornice. The door and window openings of both the first and second tier have fan lights, surrounds and key­ stones, projecting and moulded transom bars and sills. The third tier is an octagonal drum constructed in wood and with an exterior finish of sheathing and shingles. Four decorative urns are placed above the cornice of the se­ cond tier in the triangular areas created by the transition from the rectangle of the lower tiers to the octagonal of the third tier. Clock faces are set in for sides of the drum. The fourth tier is an open octagonal pavilion con­ structed in wood and supporting a modified onion-shaped shingled dome terminating in a series of copper-covered projecting collars and balls and a weather vane. Definite documentary reference to the designs of the church and the tower has not been found. Johan Vilhelm Schopen, an official of the Danish Westindia anc Guinea Company and Chief Surveyor on St. Croix during the 1740s and early 50s, was involved in the construction and may have supplied the design of the qhurch body. The designer of the tower is unknown. It was constructed by the mason James Entzell and the carpenter Collett. The mason Thomas Gray erected the masonry pillars of the fence in 1786 and the wood picket fencing between the pillars was constructed by carpenter Thomas Boggle who also installed the organ gallery of the interior in 1783. Significance First order Longitude 64° 41'-59” Latitude 17°44'-54" Acreage 0.25 acre Recommended treatment includes preservation of restored structure and restoration of original features of the churchyard. Preliminary cost estimate $36, 000. 00 3. Fort Christiansvaern (H-3) Port Christiansvaern is a brick, rubble masonry and half-timber structure Located on the shoreline of Christiansted harbor and commanding the harbor entrance to the north and northeast. Sited on the earthworks of the earlier French fortification. Fort Christiansvaern was begun in 1738 and largely completed by 1749. Roughly a square fort measuring 132' x 144' built around a central courtyard, it has corner bastions at the salient an^A.b and ravelin on the landward side. The south landward curtain is two stories Pate 4 of 10 pages GPO 921-724 Form IO-3OO0 (July 1969) RECEIVED dUN 1 0 1976 > NATIONAL___ i antri UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE lONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM ('Continuation Sheet) STATE Virgin Islands COUNTY St. Croix FOR NFS USE ONLY ENTRY NUMBER DATE while allS'^r parts of the fort are one story supporting open gun decks. To- ard th^north, the harbor side, a projecting water battery supported on a faulted magazine replaces the conventional curtain. In continuous use as a Military installation until 1878, when it became a police station and court- ouse, it has been remodeled and rehabilitated at different periods without lasically altering the original fabric of the fort. In the 1830s a stableyard was added to the fort toward the east and subsequently a walled prison yard towards the west, increasing the overall dimensions of the fort to 240 feet by 245 feet. Fort Christiansvaern, federally owned, is managed by the Virgin Islands Government but by cooperative agreement, under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service. It contains the Park Headquarters and is used as the Visitor Center for the historic site. Fort Christiansvaern was built for the Danish Westindia and Guinea Company by the company's soldiers and slaves and in its initial stages under the guid­ ance of Frederik Moth, the first Danish Governor of St. Croix. The designer of the fort is not known. Governor Moth was supplied with several standard plans of small citadels and also for brief periods had the advice of the Danish military engineers. Lieutenants Stahlmann, Warneck and Stoll. The Chief Surveyors Jens Sorensen Friis and after 1743, his successor Johan Vilhelm Schopen supervised the construction and also provided architectural designs. Others associated with repairs and additions to the fort during the 18th cen­ tury are building inspector Julius von Rohr, Lt. Peter L. Oxholm and in the 19th century, the Lieutenants Lundbye, Gjellerup and von Friss, building inspectoxi-P. Beck and architect A. Ll^vmand. In its general organization it follows the standard pattern of a small third degree citadel, varying from the typical in its water battery and two-story south curtain. As the fort in the early years of the Danish colonization served as residence of the governor and was the nerve center of the colony, its architectural character is more elaborate than normally found in fortifications of its type. Style features such as the sally port, the masonry staircase and two-story arched gallery of the south curtain are derivatives of the "Ita Una ted style" popular in Denmark during the first quarter of the 18th century. The exten­ sive additions to Fort Christiansvaern in the 1830s are more sober in form and with the exception of the gate to the stableyard, plainly utilitarian in character. Page 5 of 10 pages GPO 92I-724 Fonti 10-300O (^ly 1969) ^CeVED - 1 0 1976^ UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE lONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM (Continuation Sheet) STATE Virgin Islands COUNTY St. Croix FOR NFS USE ONLY ENTRY NUMBER DATE i? entrlei The qualit^^^ the structure and its impact is heavily dependent on its varied and fine details of pavements, masonry construction and finishes and to some degree, woodwork. Structurally, it is in fair condition, in part excellent, and in areas, poor. Significance: Longitude 64° 41'-56" Acreage First order Latitude 17° 44'-58" 6:00 acre (3/5 of wharf area) Recommended treatment: Preservation Preliminary cost estimate $5 5,0,000.00 4. Westindia Company Warehouse (Post Office H-4) A complex of three, two and one story masonry structures facing on Company, Church and Hospital Street, and grouped around a walled courtyard. The com plex measures 78' x 168 1/2'. The main structure, a two-story "L" shaped building was completed in 1749 and housed the offices and quarters of the Westindia Company. The complex originally extended further north and in­ cluded the old customhouse (H-6) as well as other structures, but in the 1790s, Hospital Street was extended and halved the original compound. After 1833 it was a depot for the Danish military and subsequently used as a telegraph office. In the 1930s the buildings were rehabilitated and converted into office space for Customs and the Post Office. The exterior character and details were retained but interior considerably altered. It is now owned and operated by G.S.A. with architectural control by cooperative agreement vested in the National Park Service. It is structurally in good condition. The main wing of the pest office extends westward along Church Street some 78 feet and is 28 feet wide, while the eastern wing runs north and south alongCompanyStreet and is 28 feet wide by 68 feet long. The entire first floor houses the U. S. Post Office while the second floor is utilized by the U. S. Customs Service. The building is located in the southeast corner of the lot. Two gates split the site on an axis perpendicular to Church and Hospital Streets. To the west of the south gate on Church Street is a kitchen with a brick hearth and chimney. Further west is a cistern which reaches to the southwest corner, and there are two more cisterns on the west side of the lot. In the northwest corner of the lot is a second kitchen with existing hearth and chimney with a flat brick ceiling. All buildings and walls are of brick and rubble masonry construction with brick frames to the original Page 6 of 10 pages GPO 921-724 Form 10-300o (July 1969) I^CEIVED JUN 1 0 1976 ^ national UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE lONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY ■ NOMINATION FORM (Ccmtimiation Sheet) STATE Virgin Islands COUNTY St. Croix FOR NFS USE ONLY ENTRY NUMBER DATE yS^ERt >nM openings/A3ffla stuccoed brick trim. Within the courtyard there are two stair­ ways ofJjYuck masonry with solid balustradeswhich provide entrances to the secOfi3T"floor of the main building. Thus the post office lot is a complex of joined masonry buildings placed on three and half sides of an irregular walled quadrangular court. The original Westindia and Guinea Company warehouse was built for the com­ pany by its slaves and artisans under the supervision of chief surveyor Johan Vilhelm Schopen and probably according to his designs. It has survived in the exterior masonry walls of the first story of the building toward Company Street and in the exterior of the building, the gateway and the wall facing on Church Street. The full second story of the wing toward Company Street is an early 19th century replacement of a gambrel roofed second story similar to the one retained in the Church Street wing of the structure. The one-story structures facing on the wharf area and the extension of Hospital Street are late 18th century and early 19th century additions to the original warehouse complex. The architectural character of the complex is a blending of 18th century and early 19th century details. Basically simple in design, decorative features are concentrated on gateways, corner posts of the surrounding walls and on the gable end of the main wing facing on Church Street. This latter feature with its gambrel gable end and horizontal banding is an \musual feature for the Virgin Islands architecture. Significance: Second order Longitude 64° 42'-01" Latitude 17° 44'-55" Acreage 0.4 acre Recommended treatment, Preservation Restoration of exterior and finished Preliminary cost estimate $^0, 000.00 5. Scale House (H-5) The scale house is a two-story building 43’5" x 6l'0" located on the wharf area at the extension of King Street. As built in 1856, it had a brick masonry ground floor 25'4" x 6l'0" supporting a second wood story with an exterior masonry staircase on the north side of the structure. A one-story extension of reinforced concrete (18'1" x 6l'0") was added to the north side of the original structure in 1925. The building housed the facilities for inspecting and weighing imports and exports and on the second story, the weighmaster's office and quarters of the troops attached to the Customs Service. Utilitarian in nature, but pivotal in function to the com unity, it is the fourth structure of its kind to be erected on the wharf area.Page 7 of 10 pages GPO 921-724 Form 10-300o (July 1969) received JWJio imtionai. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE iONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY • NOMINATION FORM (Continuation Sheet) STATE Virgin Islands COUNTY St. Croix FOR NFS USE ONLY ENTRY NUMBER DATE iJiBif mtrl e Virgin Islands Government, but by cooperative agreement, the mainte^^p'ee of its historic integrity is the responsibility of the National Park Service. It is presently serving as a visitors bureau and offices of the Bureau of Tourism of the Virgin Islands Government. It also houses the office of the Harbormaster. The Scale House was designed by Building Inspector Ludvig Schellerup and built for the Colonial Government by Mason Martin Larke and Carpenter B. Thomas. The Brick masonry ground floor was divided into a scaleroom to the sast, a central office and an inspection room toward the west by two wood partitions. Both the scaleroom and the inspection room had wide gates in the aorth and south walls to allow passage of carts through these rooms. The office in the central section of the ground floor had an exterior door in the south wall, doors to the adjoining rooms and a window in the north wall. The second floor that was accessible by the exterior masonry stairs against the lorth wall had two rooms only as the scale room went up through both stories. The exterior of the ground floor has projecting quoins at corners and around the four arched gateways. Window openings in the west, north and east walls lave keystones but are not otherwise articulated. A rainguard supported on turned wooden posts protects the central entrance door in the south wall. The second story is shingled with groved corner boards to simulate quoins. There is no cornice and the building is covered by a hipped roof with galvanized uetal roofing. In 1925 when the reinforced concrete shed was added to the lorth side of the building, the original staircase was removed. In place of it, i concrete staircase was built against the east end of the addition that gave iccess to a continuous 4'0" wide passageway against the north wall at the second floor level. The Scale House is devoid of style elements as such, but its logic, masonry md detail are characteristic of the Virgin Islands. For its effect, it relies on :hese features and on an exceptional high level of workmanship. On the second loor, for example, all wood members are exposed and finished. The studding serves as frames for door and windows and stop as trim. Moulded base poards are mitered around the exposed studs and around braces with adjust- uents to the changing angles of the mouldings and of the width of the base )oard to allow for perfect fit. Although building examples of this sort are now •are it must be assumed from the perfection of the workmanship in this plainly utilitarian structure that a similar degree of craftmanship was not as uncom- :non as it now appears to be. For this reason as well as its function in the community it is an important element of the National Historic Site. Page 8 of 10 pages GPO 921-724 Form 10-300o (July 1969) RECEIVED JUN 1 0 1976 national UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE lONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY • NOMINATION FORM (Continuation Sheet) STATE Virgin Islands COUNTY St. Croix FOR NFS USE ONLY ENTRY NUMBER DATE entrltj The stru 1 condition of the Scale House varies from good to poor. Significance: Second Order Acreage 2 acres 1/5 of wharf area Recommended treatment: Preservation and adaptive restoration Preliminary cost estimate |60, 000. 00 6. The Library Building, formerly Danish Customs House and Post Office (H-6) It is a two-story free-standing stuccoed limestone and brick masonry struc­ ture oriented east-west that faces on the Christiansted wharf. In its ground floor it retains structural elements dating from 1751. Changed and added to on several occasions during the 18th and early 19th century, it received its present form in 1840-1842. Originally part of the Danish Westindia and Guinea Company's compound and constructed as the residence of their book­ keeper, it became the Customs House and later the Customs House and Post Office. It served as such until 1926-27 when the Post Office moved to other quarters and the building was converted to a library. During the late 1940s and 50s, the ground floor was occupied by the St. Croix Museum Inc. Pre­ sently the entire structure is used by the Christiansted Library. Managed and occupied by the V. I. Government, the architectural control of the structure is vested in the National Park Service by cooperative agreement The building is 59 feet, 6 inches long. Its ground floor consists of an enclos­ ed section 19'7" wide, one room deep, divided into three rooms by two masonry partitions. A 10 foot wide arcade runs the full length of the enclosed section, along its north side. The center 26'3" of the north side projects another 10'5", providing on the^^ound floor a double arcade of the center three bays. Still centered on the north side, a large "open arms" brick masonry staircase extending 23' from the face of the second arcade and supported on two vaults provide the exterior access to the second floor and gives the building a "T" shaped plan. On the second floor, the entire area of the arcades and of the main body of the ground floor is enclosed. A two-story sun and rain guard 8' wide supported on wood posts about 9' on center extends around the east, south and west side of the building. A wood picket fence between the posts excloses a walkway along the back and sides of the building. The structure has a flat roof behind a parapet wall. In 1902-3, part of the brick roof was removed and a corrugated metal roof on joists laid above it. To hide the second roof, the parapet walls were raised to their present height. The interior of the second floor is divided into four rooms by one masonry and two wood partitions. A wood stair at the west end pro­ vides interior communication between the first and second floors. Page 9 of 10 pages_____ GPO 921-724 Form 10-300a (July 1969) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM (Continuation Sheet) STATE Virgin Islands COUNTY St. Croix FOR NPS USE ONLY ENTRY NUMBER DATE (Number alt entriea) In 1828-29, the second story masonry walls of the existing building were erected to replace earlier wood construction and the library building as it stands now began to emerge. Both Custom Treasurer Testmann and Buildmgs Inspector Johan von Magens provided sketches for the change. Its final form and its architectural character was arrived at in 1840-42 when Architect Albert L^vmand rehabilitated the building for the colonial government. His improvement included the monumental staircase on the north side of the build­ ing, the removal of adjoining structure to the west and south, the designs of the present sash, the two-story sun and rain guards and other exterior and interior details. Although Architect L^vmand was a classicist, his more usual architectural vocabulary is not apparent except in the selection of mo\ildings, particularly in the fairly elaborate interior wood work of the second floor. Stylistically, the vernacular elements of the building's design are dominant and its success dependent on the blending of solidity of massing and construction with the slightness and restraint of its mouldings and such contrasts as the perforated ground floor and the slimness of the rainguard provided. It is an exception­ ally distinguished building. Although formal and representational, the Library, like the Scale House is local in its architectural expression and owes less to outside influences than the four other structures included in the Christiansted National Historic Site. Significance: Third order Longitude 64° 42'00" Latitude 17° 44' 56" Acreage 2 acres (1/5 wharf area) Recommended treatment: Preservation Preliminary cost estimate $170, 000. 00 Page 10 of 10 pages GPO 921>724 SjeWRCANCE PERIOD (Check One or More as Appropriate) I I Pre-Columbian I i 1 5th Century 1 I 16th Century I 1 17th Century [~X 18th Century rX 19th Century I I 20th Century SPECIFIC DATE(S) (It Applicable and Known) AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE (Check One or More as Appropriate) Aboriginal I I Prehistoric I I Historic I 1 Agriculture [XI Architecture □ Art [XI Commerce I I Communications I I Conservation I I Education I I Engineering [ I Industry I I Invention I I Londscape Architecture I I Literature Military I 1 Music [~X Political rX Religion/Phi­ losophy [ 1 Science { I Sculpture I I Social/Human­ itarian I I Theater I I Transportation tn Urban Planning 1 I Other (Specify) </>Z o H U 3 OC I- uo Z lU lU STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE Christiansted National Historic Site provides an excellent example o£ the developient, accoi^lishments, and way of life of a society based on a sugar producing plantation economy. It also preserves a representative sanple of the architectural qualities that sprang from the wealth and accomplishments of Danish colonial development in the Lesser Antilles. For more than a century after Columbus sighted St. Croix during his second voyage in 1493 it remained a no-man's land, rarely visited by Europeans. During the 17th century the Island of St. Croix was occupied in turn by the British, Dutch and French, each in turn relinquishing their claim. In 1/^5 the French left the island, but retained their ownership until 1733 when the Danish West India and Guinea Company bought St. Croix to add to the islands of St. Thomas and St. John which they already held. Under Danish rule the island thrived, becoming a major sugar producer bound to both Europe and America by commercial, social, and cultural ties. By 1755 the population was over 10,000 and that year the three islands became a crown colony with Christiansted as the capital. Prosperity continued to increase in direct proportion to sugar production as the Danish West Indies became a major part of the ’’Fabulous Sugar Islands” as the Lower Antilles were known. It was this prosperity that built St. Croix's substantial, attractive buildings and supported the planter's and merchant's gracious and luxurious way of life. The Town of Christiansted grew as a planned community. Its gridiron street pattern designed to fit the topographic features of the site. Its architecture reflects both the wealth and accomplishments of the plantation society and the social injustices that made such a society possible. By the first decades of the 19th century, the end of prosperity resting on a single crop economy was approaching--the price of sugar dropped after 1820, sugar beets became a viable crop in many countries, and restrictive inqxjrt laws of other nations curtailed trade. By 1848, when slaves were emancipated, the flourisliing economy was a past memory. Today, Christiansted National Historic Site contains six buildings in approximately three city blocks on the waterfront. They reflect the influence and interest of Danish colonial government. Fort Christianvaem (Continued) Page 1 of 2 L?. MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REPERENCeS Johannes Brj^ndsted, Vore Gamle Tropekolonier, Westeimanns Forlag, 1953^ Copenhagen, Denmark Waldemar Westergaard, The Danish Westindies under Company Rule, The Macmillan Co. 1917, N.Y. Tyge Hvass Dansk Vestindien C.A. Reitzels Boghandel, Copenhagen, 1925, Den. Tyge Pfvass MjiJbler fra Dansk Vestindiens, Nordisk Forelag, Copengn, 1928, Den. Kay Larsen Dansk Vestindien 1666-1917, C.A. Reitzels Forlag, Copengn, 1928 Deh Herbert Olsen, HSR, NFS, Steeple Building 1959, Ft. Christiansvaem 1960, Scale House 1961, Library Bldg., Formly Old Custom House 1962 F.C. Cjessing, HSR, NFS, Steeple Bldg. 1957 Part II, 1959 CORNER LATITUDE LONGI TUDE NW Payees S^^nds D^rees Minutes Seconds ff4 0 42 . 17 .. NE 17 “ 44 • 59 64 ° 42 • 04 ” SE 17 ° 44 ■ 50 - 64 0 42 . 17 .. SW 17 0 44, 50 „ 64 ° 42 ' 04 ” 10 geographical data Hegning^HeOTingson^^e ^^sh^Westindies in Old Pictures, ] JOE! COORDINAS LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE DEFINING A RECTANGLE LOCATING THE PROPERTY igi: 0 R APPROXIMATE ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY; 1/2 aCrCS imish West •gsn [J*WyuDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES DEFINING THE CENTER POINT OF A PROPERTY OF LESS THAN TEN ACRES LATITUDE Degrees Minutes Seconds LONGITUDE Degrees Minutes Seconds LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES COUNTY: lit FORM PREPARED BY NAME AND TITLE: Frederik C. Ciessing, Architect DATE: June 15, 1973 BUSINESS ADDRESS: Virgin Islands National Park STREET AND NUMBER: P.O. Box 806, Charlotte Amalie CITY OR TOWN: 12. CgRTIFICATIQN OP NOMINATION ^ State Liaison Officer recommendation: □ Yes □ No I I None State Liaison Officer Signature In compliance with Executive Order 11593, I hereby nominate this property to the National Register, certify­ ing that the State Liaison Officer has been allowed 90 days in which to present the nomination to the State Re­ view Board and to ev^uate its sig^ic^nce. The tecom- ;d le/el/of siftkificance i? /fyfjjatioft^ I I State preventative Signatun ^Federal I Deputy) Assistant Secretary Title PHONE: 755-2050 STATE Virgin Islands U7» NATIONAL REGISTER VERIFICATION I hereby certify that this property is included in the National Register. Director, Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation Date , ATTEST: Date _ Keepevrot The National Register «/* m m z </» H ya c n H O Z (/) GPO 938-449 Form 10-300o (July 1969) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM (Continuation Sheet) STATE Virgin Islands COUNTY St. Croix FOR NPS USE ONLY ENTRY NUMBER DATE (Number alt entries) 8. Significance Continued originally was the residence of the governor, as well as a military instal­ lation. It later housed the offices and functions of the metropolitan government. The Customhouse (Library) and Scalehouse were both intimately tied to the commerce and agriculture that was the island’s economic base. Colonization by many European Nations often started with licensed private, commercial ventures under diplomatic and military protection of the home government. The West India and Guinea Company Warehouse is an excellent example of the headquarters of such a venture, and for the first 20 years after 1733 was the heart of the settlement. Government house as the residence of the governor and headquarters of the Crown Colony was the center of administration. As the meeting place of the Colonial Council, it was the setting for decisions that at one time or another affected all individuals residing in the Danish Virgin Islands. Discussions conducted here led to Denmark's abolition of the slave trade in 1798 and emancipation 50 years later. Denmark was in advance of most European Nations in its acceptance of religious tolerance, but religious functions of an official nature had to be performed by a minister of the Lutheran State Church. Construction on the Steeple building began in 1750 and was completed 3 years later. The steeple was added in 1794. The structure, built of rubble masonry with a four tiered steeple 77 feet high, is an unusual representative of Danish colonial architecture. These six structures served the population of St. Croix and the adjoining islands and are an architectural expression of Danish colonial development. GPO 921-724 Property^_/^;^__^^£ CUt State irur^ 1J..L 4- /^, IL iCA] / (0M/57//)aJ STjE^ TECHNICAI^ Photos, Maps / CONTROL -pJLy 01- L. /6. 7fe Ifi^Ov- fO P^ jpcw,ppiv^ih HISTORIAN Aa^X lo^XU ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIAN ficopi' mt-iuliv ARCHEOLOGIST OTHER HAER Inventory Review REVIEW UNIT CHIEF oc ODie /0'is^7t) BRANCH CHIEF /<! KEEPER National Register Write-up Federal Register Entry Send-back Re-submit Entered IN T ;2 I 08-74 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service WASO No. 7 0MB No. 1024-0018 C,CC0C 0 77 NFS Form 10-900 (Rev. 10-90) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES REGISTRATION FORM This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinalt districts. See instructions in How to Complete the NationPlaces Registrati Form (National Register Bulletin 16A) . Complete each itemj by the appropriate box or entering the information requested. If any item does not apply to the property being documented, e "N/A" for "not applicable." For functions, architectural classification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the instructions. Place additional entr and narrative items on continuation sheets (NFS Form 10-900a). Use a typewriter, word processor, o computer, to complete all items. KCRvn ew :ior s for individual pro )erties and 1. Name of Property historic name Christiansted National Historic Site TAdditional Documentation) other names/site number Wharf Area. Christiansted Historic District 2. Location street & number city or town Christiansted, state Virgin Islands zip code 00820 St. Croix code VI not for publication ___ vicinity ___ county St. Croix_______ code 010 3. State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1986, as amended, I hereby certify that this _x_ on____ request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property ^ meets ____ does not meet the National Register Criteria. I recommend that this property be considered significant X nationally ___ statewide .o___ locally. ( ___ See continuation sheet for additional comments.) Signature of cerpd^fying official National Park Service //W-ar [999 Date State or Federal agency and bureau In my opinion, the property criteria. ( _ __ meets ____ does not meet the National Register See continuation sheet for additional comments.) Signature of commenting or other official Date State or Federal agency and bureau USDI/NPS NRHP Registration Form 4. National Park Service Certification I, hereby certify that this property is: entered in the National Register ___ See continuation sheet. __ determined eligible for the National Register ___ See continuation sheet. 17 determined not eligible for the National Register removed from the National Register other (explain); IjO'Signature of Keeper Date of Action 5. Classification Ownership of Property (Check as many boxes as apply) ___ private X public-local ___ public-state X public-Federal Category of Property (Check only one box) building(s) district site structure object Number of Resources within Property (Do not include previously listed properties in the count) Contributing 1 Noncontributing 0 buildings 0 sites 0 structures 1 objects 1 Total Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register 6 fin NHS) Name of related multiple property listing (Enter "N/A" if property is not part of a multiple property listing.) N/A_____________ USDI/NPS NRHP Registration Form 6. Function or Use Historic Functions (Enter categories from instructions) HEALTH CARE/hosoital Current Functions (Enter categories from instructions) RECREATION AND CULTURE/museum/music DEFENSE/naval facilitv/fortification faci1itv/monument/marker RELIGION/reliaious facilitv GOVERNMENT/cost office/other GOVERNMENT/custom house/court house/ OTHER/NPS office/exhibit/visitor correctional facilitv center/maintenance facilitv COMMERCE/TRADE/warehouse/other OTHER/National Historic Site RECREATION AND CULTURE/music facilitv 7. Description Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions) COLONIAL Materials (Enter categories from instructions) foundation: brick, stone, concrete Danish Colonial walls: brick OTHER roof: metal, brick, asohalt. shinale other: wood, stucco Narrative Description (Describe the historic and current condition of the property on one or more continuation sheets.) 8. Statement of Significance Applicable National Register Criteria (Mark "x" in one or more boxes for the criteria qualifying the property for National Register listing) X A B C Property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history. Property is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past. Property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack individual distinction. Property has yielded, or is likely to yield information important in prehistory or history. USDI/NPS NRHP Registration Form Criteria Considerations (Mark "X" in all the boxes that apply.) ___ A owned by a religious institution or used for religious purposes. removed from its original location, a birthplace or a grave, a cemetery. a reconstructed building, object, or structure, a commemorative property. B C D E F G less than 50 years of age or achieved significance within the past 50 years. Areas of Significance (Enter categories from instructions) POLITICS/GOVERNMENT ARCHITECTURE Significant Person (Complete if Criterion B is marked above) Period of Significance ca. 1734-1931 Significant Dates 1734. 1754. 1917. 1931 Cultural Affiliation N/A____________________ Architect/Builder Unknown ____ U.S. Naw Narrative Statement of Significance (Explain the significance of the property on one or more continuation sheets.) USDI/NPS NRHP Registration Form 9. Major Bibliographical References (Cite the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form on one or more continuation sheets.) Previous documentation on file (NPS) ___ preliminary determination of individual listing (36 CFR 67) has been requested. X previously listed in the National Register ___ previously determined eligible by the National Register ___ designated a National Historic Landmark X recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey # VI-1, VI-4, VI-5 ___ recorded by Historic American Engineering Record # Primary Location of Additional Data ___ State Historic Preservation Office ___ Other State agency X Federal agency ___ Local government ___ University ___ Other Name of repository: Christiansted National Historic Site St. Croix. VI 10. Geographical Data Acreage of Property 8.46 fNHS within the 135.9-acre Christiansted HD) UTM References (Place additional UTM references on a continuation sheet) Zone Easting Northing Zone Easting Northing A __ ______ _______ D __ ______ _______ B __ ______ _______ F __ ______ _______ C ______ _______ F ______ _______ X See continuation sheet. Verbal Boundary Description (Describe the boundaries of the property on a continuation sheet.) There is no change in the existing district boundary. Boundary Justification (Explain why the boundaries were selected on a continuation sheet.) USDI/NPS NRHP Registration Form 11. Form Prepared By name/title Christine Trebellas, Architectural Historian organization National Park Service. Southeast Regional Office date January 1999 street & number 100 Alabama Street S.E. telephone (404) 562-3117 city or town Atlanta state GA zip code 30303 Additional Docvimentation Submit the following items with the completed form: Continuation Sheets Maps A uses map (7.5 or 15 minute series) indicating the property's location. A sketch map for historic districts and properties having large acreage or numerous resources. Photographs Representative black and white photographs of the property. Additional items (Check with the SHPO or FPO for any additional items) Property Owner (Complete this item at the request of the SHPO or FPO.) name National Park Service ___________________ telephone __________ street & number P.O. Box 37127 city or town Washington state DC zip code 20013-7127 NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES CONTINUATION SHEET Section 1 Page 0MB No. 1024-0018 Christiansted National Historic Site name of property St. Croix, Virgin Islands county and State National Register of Historic Places Additional Documentation for Christiansted National Historic Site Christiansted National Historic Site (NHS) was placed on the National Register of Historic Places with the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act on October 15, 1966. Documentation for the district was accepted by the National Register on July 30, 1976. It nominated 135.9 acres of the historic town of Christiansted, including all of the Christiansted Historic and Architectural Control District and portions of the Christiansted National Historic Site. The initial documentation also included six historic structures within the Christiansted National Historic Site significant for their architecture as well as their association with the development of the Danish West Indies (Virgin Islands) as a colonial possession of Denmark. This amendment identifies one additional contributing structure within the National Historic Site, the Fort Christiansvaern Stable Building, that was included, but not individually listed, in the previous nomination. Like the majority of the historic resources, this structure is significant for its association with the development of Christiansted under Danish Colonial rule. After the United States purchased the Danish West Indies in 1917, the U.S. Navy administration greatly improved social services in the Virgin Islands until the islands were transferred to the Department of the Interior in 1931. This amendment also identifies one additional contributing structure within the National Historic Site, the bandstand, which is significant for its association with the U.S. Navy's stewardship of the Virgin Islands between 1917 and 1931. In addition to listing these two structures, this amendment also identifies one noncontributing structure within the National Historic Site, the D. Hamilton Jackson Monument. The district boundaries for the Christiansted Historic District will remain the same. Photographs of the additional contributing structures within the National Historic Site are included, as well as a map 'indicating the location of these contributing structures. Description of Historic Resources Previously Listed Resources Christiansted National Historic Site Government House, 1747-1830s Originally two separate structures, the Government House consists of an approximately 270' x 135' U-shaped masonry structure of two to three stories. The Johan Vilhelm Schopen House, built in 1747 as a two-story building, was purchased by the colonial government in 1771 and is now the central part of the .existing Government House. The neighboring Sobotkergaard, built between 1794 and 1797, was joined to the Government House in the 1830s with a two-story, three-bay connecting unit. At the same time, the existing third story was added to the Schopen House, as was the monumental staircase and piazza on the north end of the building. Although transferred to the Virgin Islands government in 1984, and currently maintained and interpreted by it, the NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES CONTINUATION SHEET Section Page OMB No. 1024-0018 Christiansted National Historic Site name of property St. Croix, Virgin Islands county and State structure is still within the authorized boundary of the National Historic ,Site.^ Nonetheless, the National Park Service no longer has responsibility for the management or maintenance of the Government House. Steeple Building, LCS Number 00187, H-2, 1750-1753, 1794-1796 The Steeple Building, once known as The Church of Lord God of Sabaoth, consists of a 28' X 88', one-story, rectangular-plan building with a hipped roof, and a 15' X 18' X 77' steeple tower. Built as a Lutheran church between 1750 and 1753, the structure has exterior walls of stucco masonry and a roof with wood shingles. The building also contains a main entrance through the steeple tower on the north face, as well as twelve-over-twelve-light casement windows with exterior board shutters. The four-tier steeple tower was added to the building in 1794. The first and second tiers are rectangular with stucco walls and arched window and door openings. Quoins decorate the corners of the first 'tier, while the second is embellished with pilasters. The third tier consists 'of a wood-shingled octagonal drum with four clock faces on alternating sides. The top tier contains an open cupola with a wood-shingled roof surmounted by a wrought iron spire and weather vane. The brick masonry gate and wood picket fence with brick pillars are part of a 1964 reconstruction. Fort Christiansvaern, LCS Number 00188, H-3, 1738-1749, 1835-1840 Built between 1738 and 1749, Fort Christiansvaern is an approximately 132' x 144', four-sided fort built around a central courtyard. The fortification has corner bastions at the salient angles and a ravelin on the south (landward) side. The south curtain (the wall of a fortification between the bastions) contains two stories, while the others are one-story stuccoed brick walls enclosing chambers and magazines. The roofs of the curtains and bastions are flat brick decks with embrasured parapet walls. On the north (harbor) side, a projecting water battery replaces the curtains. The northeast bastion has a 1835 second-story addition used as an enlisted soldiers' dining room. The second story of the south curtain, which contained living quarters, has symmetrical fenestration on the court (north) side. Other features include a projecting double stairway leading to the second-story entry, a fanlight over the door, and jalousie windows with fanlights flanking the main entry. In 1835 a wall was added to the west side of the complex to enclose a prison yard. 'According to the Office of the Solicitor, Southeast Region, Department of Interior, the transfer of the Government House and the appurtenant property to the Government of the Virgin islands did not change the boundary of the National Historic Site. When Congress passed H.R. 98-784 in 1984, it did not remove, nor intend to remove, the Government House and its land from the Christiansted National Historic site. Roger Sumner Babb, Atlanta, Georgia, to Jerry Belson, Atlanta, Georgia, 8 July 1997, Southeast Support Office, National Park Service, Atlanta, Georgia. NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES CONTINUATION SHEET Section 1 Page 0MB No. 1024-0018 Christiansted National Historic Site name of property St. Croix, Virgin Islands county and State Danish West India and Guinea Company Warehouse, LCS Number 07029, H-4, 1749 The Danish West India and Guinea Company Warehouse is a 78' x 168.5' building complex of one-, two-, and three-story structures grouped around a walled courtyard. The main building, a three-story, L-shaped, hipped-roof structure completed ca. 1749, faces Compagniegade (Company Street) and once housed the offices and quarters of the West India Company. The ell addition to the north of the building consists of a two-story gambrel-roof structure with three gable dormers on the east and west sides. A staircase leads from the main building into the courtyard. The north end of the complex has a one-story, V-shaped building with a flat roof that follows the contour of the wall. A shed-roof pump house lies on the northwest end of the complex, while the 25' x 55' National Park Service (NPS) comfort station lies to the northeast. The comfort station, the only part of the complex owned by the NPS, has an end-gable parapet roof and entries on the east facing the street. Windows throughout the complex are six-over-six-light double-hung wood sash with exterior board shutters and iron hardware. All the buildings in the complex have stucco- covered walls and metal roofs. An arched gateway on the west wall connects the south and north buildings on that side of the complex. Scale House, LCS Number 00191, H-5, 1855-56 The Scale House is a 43.5' x 61', two-story, rectangular-plan building with a hipped roof. As built ca. 1855-56, the structure had a brick masonry ground floor approximately 25.3' x 61' supporting a wood second story with an exterior masonry staircase. In 1925 a one-story reinforced concrete addition approximately 18' x 61' was built to the north side of the structure. This , non-historic addition was later demolished in a 1977 rehabilitation. The brick exterior walls on the first floor currently have stucco veneer while wood shingles cover the second. Quoins decorate the corners of the ground floor, which contains arched stable door entries with voussoirs of alternating size and wood gates on the north and south faces of the building. In the center of the facade (north face) is the restored exterior brick staircase with a modern wrought iron railing leading to the second floor. The first floor of the south face has a single-door entry with a shed-roof porch containing wood posts and scalloped wood barge boards. The unglazed windows on the second floor of the structure have exterior board shutters and interior louvered wood shutters. Due to damage from Hurricane Marilyn in 1995, the roof of the Scale House was replaced with wood shingles in 1997. Danish Customs House, LCS Number 00190, H-6, ca. 1829 The Danish Customs House, also known as the Library Building, is an approximately 40' x 60', rectangular-plan, two-story building with a flat parapet roof. The facade (north face) has symmetrical fenestration as well as a projecting, three-bay entrance and grand staircase with a solid balustrade leading to round newel posts. The first floor has an open arcade supported by square columns that run behind the staircase. The south, east, and west faces NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES CONTINUATION SHEET Section 7 Page 0MB No. 1024-0018 Christiansted National Historic Site name of property St. Croix, Virgin Islands county and State of the building contain a two-story hipped-roof porch with a brick floor, wood post supports, scalloped barge boards, and picket fencing between the posts. The casement windows have three-over-two lights in each panel, keystone details, and exterior board shutters with iron hardware. Doors are double wood panel casement without glazing. The masonry building contains decorative horizontal banding: two at belt course and three at parapet level. The south face also contains an exterior cast-iron staircase leading to the second floor. The roof of the building consists of a double-layer of brick over wood joists and stringers. Additional Contributing Resources Christiansted National Historic Site Fort Christiansvaern Stable Building^ LCS Number 91554, H-9, 1835-1840 The Fort Christiansvaern Stable Building, built between 1835 and 1840, consists of an approximately 119' x 16', rectangular-plan, one-story stable building with brick and stucco walls and a brick roof which slopes toward the west. The west face of the building contains eight full and one partial arched stable doorways. There were originally ten openings to the stable, but one and part of another have been filled with brick and now contain two doors and a small window. On the east face of the structure, sixteen narrow windows with shutters and horizontally placed iron bars provide light and ventilation for the building. A wall with a gate connects the stable and stable yard to the fort. The stable building was previously listed as part of Fort Christiansvaern on the 1976 National Register nomination. Bandstand, LCS Number 91555, H-8, ca. 1917-18 The bandstand, built ca. 1917-18 by the U.S. Navy during its stewardship of the Virgin Islands, consists of a roughly 22' x 22' octagonal platform with a two- tier octagonal hipped roof. The structure contains steps on the east face. Other features include wood railings, posts, roof supports, and decorative barge boards. The bandstand platform rests on an approximately 4 1/2' high brick pier foundation filled in the 1930s with concrete scored to look like stone. Used for concerts given by the U.S. Navy Band of the Virgin Islands, the structure is located near Hamilton Jackson Park between Fort Christiansvaern and the Danish Customs House and Scale House. Noncontributing Resources Christiansted National Historic Site David Hamilton Jackson Monument, LCS Number 91556, H-7, 1978-1979 The David Hamilton Jackson Monument, created to commemorate the famous local judge, editor, and labor leader, is an approximately 6' high monument with a bronze bust sculpture of Jackson wearing his judge's robes. On March 14, 1978, NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES CONTINUATION SHEET Section 7 Page 0MB No. 1024-0018 Christiansted National Historic Site name of property St. Croix, Virgin Islands county and State the Virgin Islands Legislature approved an act (Act No. 4106) authorizing $10,000 for the creation of a mounted bronze bust of D. Hamilton Jackson and a memorial plaque to be placed in the D. Hamilton Jackson Park in Christiansted, St. Croix. Designed by Jose Buscaglia, the completed sculpture rests on a marble veneer and concrete plinth consisting of a square base, square shaft, and a capital. The text on the monument reads "DAVID/HAMILTON JACKSON/1884 1946/JUDGE, EDITOR, LABOR LEADER/'BLACK MOSES'." The monument was completed between 1978 and 1979 and is maintained as a cultural resource because of its commemorative purpose and its association with Jackson, who played an important role in the development of the Virgin Islands in the early twentieth century. Born in 1884, David Hamilton Jackson organized the first labor union in St. Croix in 1915 and founded the Herald, the first newspaper to represent the working class opinion in the Virgin Islands. He also served as an educator, editor, labor leader, attorney, councilman, and judge.^ D. Hamilton Jackson Park The park lacks clear boundaries, but as originally designated appears to have extended from the west wall of Fort Christiansvaern on the east, the sea on the north, and the scale house on the south. On the west, the park extends to the vicinity of the bandstand. It was probably named in Jackson's honor after his death in 1946. The first mention of this designation appears in a Virgin Islands Public Works Department map from the late 1940s or early 1950s. Many of the paths, walkways, and benches in this area may have been related to the former Veteran's Memorial, which stood near the balustrated terrace (built 1945) outside the west wall of the fort until it was removed in the early 1980s. Many of the landscape features associated with the memorial were also removed to restore the grounds to their nineteenth century appearance.^ Further research is needed to determine whether the park area is a cultural landscape eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. ^Ruth Moolenaar, Profiles of Outstanding Virgin Islanders, 3'"'* ed. (Department of Education, Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands, 1992), 109-110. ^Conversation with William Cissel, Christiansted National Historic Site, 20 January 1998 and 11 January 1999. NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES CONTINUATION SHEET Section 8 0MB No. 1024-0018 Christiansted National Historic Site name of property St. Croix, Virgin Islands county and State Significance The Christiansted National Historic Site was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places as part of a nationally significant district associated with the development of Christiansted and the Danish West Indies as a colonial possession of Denmark. The historic site contains seven structures which reflect the growth of the colony in the early eighteenth century under Danish West India and Guinea Company rule, and after 1754, under the Danish Crown. This documentation explains the relationship of these structures to the development of Christiansted and the rest of the Danish West Indies. Under Danish Crown rule, Christiansted became the new capital of the colony, and the economy of the Danish West Indies prospered with the sugar production of St. Croix and St. John and the commerce of St. Thomas. However, a decline in profits from agriculture (which began in the mid-nineteenth century) led to Denmark's decision to sell the islands to the United States, which purchased them for military purposes. The U.S. Navy administered the islands from 1917 to 1931, and during these years implemented a number of programs to improve social services on the islands. This additional documentation also discusses the site's secondary significance—its association with the U.S. Navy's stewardship of the Virgin Islands from 1917 to 1931. One structure, the bandstand, reflects this period of significance. The Danish West Indies On November 14, 1493, during his second voyage to the New World, Christopher Columbus discovered yet another island in the West Indies and named it Santa Cruz (St. Croix). Shortly thereafter, his ships sailed north through several smaller islands, and Columbus named this group the Virgin Islands, or "Las Once Mil Virgines."^ Although Spain claimed St. Croix and the Virgin Islands, it neglected to colonize them in favor of larger islands in the area.^ No serious efforts were made to inhabit the Virgin Islands until the seventeenth century, when both Dutch and English groups attempted to settle on St. Croix. They encountered little resistance from the islands' Native American population, for most of them had disappeared by the mid sixteenth century.® After several ^St. Croix, however, was not considered one of the Virgin Islands at this time. William W. Boyer. America's Virgin Islands, A History of Human Rights and Wrongs (Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press, 1983), 2. ®Fear of the native Carib Indians may have influenced this decision as well. See Isaac Dookhan, A History of the Virgin Islands of the United States, 28-9, 31-2. ® Although the Virgin Islands were successively inhabited by three Native American groups, the Ciboneys, and Arawaks, and the Caribs, few Caribs remained when the Dutch and English began to settle St. Croix. There are several possible explanations for their disappearance. European powers destroyed many Native American communities in the sixteenth century during the process of colonization. The Spanish may have captured some Caribs on St. Croix to replace the rapidly dying Native American workers (slaves) in the Greater Antilles. Others may have fled southeastward toward the Lesser Antilles. Whatever the cause, the absence of Native Americans NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES CONTINUATION SHEET Section 8 0MB No. 1024-0018 Christiansted National Historic Site name of property St. Croix, Virgin Islands county and State skirmishes, the Dutch left the island to the English, who were then forcibly removed from St. Croix in 1650 by the Spanish. Shortly thereafter, France seized the island from Spain and began to plan its development.^ Meanwhile, European nations began colonizing other islands in the area. Denmark was drawn to the West Indies by their trade possibilities. In 1665 the Danish Crown first attempted to establish a colony on St. Thomas, which was chosen for its ideal harbor for trade. Sickness, pirate attacks, severe weather, and meager assistance from Denmark forced the colonists to abandon the settlement after nineteen months.® Several years later, in 1670, the Danish Crown granted a charter to the Danish West India Company (a group of investors and merchants) to establish settlements on St. Thomas and other uninhabited islands in the West Indies. By 1672 the Danish West India Company had successfully founded a colony on St. Thomas and began to look into establishing settlements on other islands in the area. The company quickly understood the limited agricultural potential of St. Thomas and needed to expand its claims in the West Indies to remain profitable. It also looked for other markets for its slave trade, for in November 1674, a royal charter gave the company complete control of the Danish-Guinea slave traffic.® Consequently, in winter 1717-8, a group of twenty planters, five soldiers, and sixteen slaves landed on neighboring St. John, organized a settlement, and claimed the island for Denmark. The Danish West India and Guinea Company also turned toward neighboring St. Croix, which had been unoccupied for several decades. By 1695 the French Crown concluded that maintaining a colony on St. Croix was no longer profitable or militarily feasible and moved the whole settlement to St. Dominque (Haiti).” When St. Thomas and St. John experienced an economic depression in the 1720s, the Danish company began to consider purchasing St. Croix from the French. The company not only needed to expand its possessions in the Caribbean, but it also wanted to utilize the agricultural resources of St. Croix and benefit from trade with the island. Indeed, the fertile land, the moderate climate, and the size and terrain of the island made it ideal for sugar production. on St. Croix prompted the early introduction of African slavery on the island. Boyer, xxiii, 1-3. ^Boyer, 3-4. ®Isaac Dookhan, A History of the Virgin Islands of the United States (St. Thomas, VI: College of the Virgin Islands, 1974), 35-7. ®Ibid., 124. ^°Ibid., 40-2. Boyer, 6. NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES CONTINUATION SHEET Section 8 0MB No. 1024-0018 Christiansted National Historic Site name of property St. Croix, Virgin Islands county and State Consequently, on June 15, 1733, the Danish West India and Guinea Company officially purchased St. Croix from France for 750,000 French livres with the stipulation that they could not sell the island to a foreign power without French approval.'^ A slave insurrection on St. John, however, delayed colonization of the island until the following year. On September 1, 1734, a group of settlers from St. Thomas under the leadership of Governor Frederick Moth arrived at the former French settlement of Basin and founded Christiansted. They immediately began construction of a temporary redoubt on the site of an early French fortification. By March 1735, the colonists had completed three sides of a 110' X 116' earthwork fort and built simple dwellings for quarters on the fourth side. The construction of a permanent fortification, however, was delayed by several factors, including indecision about its location, the death of several company engineers, and other company priorities. Work finally began on the new fort in 1738, and by the end of 1749 the three curtains, the battery, the four bastions, and the ravelin were completed. The colonists then named the masonry fortification Christiansvaern ("Christian's Defense") in honor of King Christian VI of Denmark-Norway. One of the Danish West India and Guinea Company's priorities was the rapid development and settlement of St. Croix. The company had learned from its earlier attempts at establishing colonies on St. Thomas and St. John, and wanted an orderly distribution of land. Between 1735 and 1754 it surveyed the island and established plantation sites according to a logical and uniform plan; St. Croix was divided into nine quarters, which were then subdivided into plantation sites of approximately 150 acres. The company offered the first sites to new settlers at cheap prices. Consequently, many planters in St. Croix owned more that one plantation site.^^ By 1748 most of the flat land in St. Croix was under cultivation, and according to the 1751 census, the island contained 120 sugar estates and 122 cotton estates worked by 1,900 slaves. By 1749 the Danish West India and Guinea Company had also completed a warehouse in Christiansted to house offices and quarters, as well as a residence for its Dookhan, 44. ^^Jerome A. Greene and William F. Cissel, Historic Furnishings Report, Fort Christiansvaern, Christiansted National Historic Site, Christiansted, Virgin Islands (Harper's Ferry, WV: National Park Service, U.S. Department of Interior, 1988), 3; Herbert Olsen, "Historic Structures Report, Fort Christiansvaern, Christiansted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands" (National Park Service, U.S. Department of Interior, August 1960), 5-6. ^'*Boyer, 11; Dookhan, 75. Boyer, 12. NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES CONTINUATION SHEET Section 8 0MB No. 1024-0018 Christiansted National Historic Site name of property St. Croix, Virgin Islands county and State bookkeeper (later to become part of the Danish Customs House). However, although trade and plantation agriculture continued to develop, the company still experienced financial difficulties. The company failed because it saw the Virgin Islands solely as a profit-making industry and exploited the resources of the island and the planters for the shareholders' benefit.^® Planters on St. Croix frequently complained of the monopolistic practices and trade restrictions imposed by the Danish company. Consequently, in 1753, several planters petitioned the King to take over the company. One year later, in 1754, the Danish Crown purchased the Danish West India and Guinea Company's shares and assumed its obligations. St. Croix, the largest and most lucrative island, became the site of the new capital of the royal colony. With the start of crown rule, the Danish West Indies began to prosper. Instead of being monopolized by the former Danish West India and Guinea Company, trade was opened to all Danish subjects. Since new markets were created and planters could now receive better prices for their produce, cotton and sugar production on St. Croix and St. John flourished. St. Thomas, on the other hand, turned toward trade and commerce in the mid-to-late nineteenth century.^® The island greatly benefited from its ideal harbor facilities as well as from its status as a free port. Indeed, the deep harbor could accommodate large ships and had the necessary facilities for shipping, including coaling stations for refueling (established 1841), wharves for unloading cargo, tanks for watering, and a dry dock for cleaning and repairing vessels. ® As the new capital of the Danish West Indies during this prosperous period of agricultural production and trade, Christiansted benefited from a building campaign. The colonial government established the Danish Customs House and built the Scale House (1856). Significant renovations were made to the Government House (1830s), while Fort Christiansvaern underwent major alterations and improvements. In March of 1836 Governor-General Peter von Scholten approved the addition of a stable and carriage house to Fort Christiansvaern. The stable, built against a new outer wall on the east side of the fort, consisted of a 74' long structure with a flagstone-paved floor and a flat, brick roof laid on timbers. The building contained boxed stalls for twelve horses and had six arched openings with wooden shades on the west wall and twelve shuttered and barred windows on the east. A wooden gutter hung from the eaves of the building while a brick gutter carried water from the stable to a rock gutter leading to the sea. Over the years the stable was extended by Dookhan, 66-7. Boyer, 12. “Ibid. "^Dookhan, 101-2, 220. NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES CONTINUATION SHEET Section 8 0MB No. 1024-0018 Christiansted National Historic Site name of property St. Croix, Virgin Islands county and State 25' and two box stalls were added to the complex.^” After the mid-nineteenth century, however, the prosperity of the Danish West Indies began to decline. Plantation agriculture decreased due to a decline in prices for produce and losses caused by hurricanes and droughts. In addition, competition from the expanding beet sugar industry and labor problems created by the abolition of slavery in 1848 further contributed to the decline of sugar cane. Over the next fifty years, some planters attempted to cut production costs by adopting new techniques while others returned to cotton or converted to cattle raising. These efforts to promote agricultural production, however, had limited success.Meanwhile, the shipping industry in St. Thomas was also in decline. In 1867 a hurricane, followed by a tidal wave and earthquake, destroyed many ships in the St. Thomas harbor. These disasters, combined with several epidemics, adversely affected the harbor's activity and status as a "safe" harbor. Furthermore, competition from better shipping facilities on other nearby islands reduced the importance of St. Thomas as a coaling station.Consequently, Denmark began to view her colonial possessions in the West Indies as an economic liability and seriously considered their sale. The U.S. Purchase of the Virgin Islands The relationship between the United States and the Danish West Indies, based primarily on commerce, grew over the centuries. In the mid-eighteenth century, the Danish West Indies first developed strong trading relations with Britain's North American colonies. American vessels brought flour, dried codfish, and other necessary plantation supplies such as hoops, barrel staves, planks, shingles, and horses to the islands in exchange for sugar, molasses, and rum. The operation of these plantations depended on these supplies as well as this outlet for their goods. After the American Revolution, trade restraints imposed by the British were lifted, and trade between the United States and the Danish West Indies increased as the new country developed.Trade continued to expand so that by the end of the nineteenth century, U.S. trade accounted for approximately one-third of the islands' imports (two-thirds of St. Croix's). These strong commercial ties with the United States led many of the inhabitants of the Danish West Indies to believe that they would benefit from the transfer of the islands to the United States. ^°01sen. 30, 32 Boyer, 53-5; 1 ^^Dookhan, 220- 93-96. ^^Ibid., 247-8. NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) 0MB No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES CONTINUATION SHEET Section 8 Christiansted National Historic Site name of property St. Croix, Virgin Islands county and State The United States, however, was more interested in the Danish West Indies for military purposes than for their commercial value. During the Civil War, the United States first understood the strategic importance of the Danish West Indies as a naval base. U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward realized that the U.S. Navy could not successfully conduct a blockade as long as the islands presented a weak point, and wanted to obtain the harbor at St. Thomas for its commercial and strategic importance. According to Luther Evans, Seward "saw in St. Thomas an important link in a chain of commercial and coaling stations which he hoped to forge between North and South America, for he regarded the two continents as standing upon the threshold of great commercial developments.As early as 1865, Seward spoke with Danish foreign minister Raasloff of his interest in the West Indies and the United States' concern that these islands would fall into the hands of another foreign power. In 1867, after a U.S. delegation visited St. Thomas, the United States and Denmark signed a treaty in which the United States would pay Denmark $7,500,000 for St. Thomas and St. John. If necessary, the United States could purchase St. Croix for an additional $3,750,000, providing the French government did not oppose its sale. Both houses of the Danish Parliament agreed to the sale of the islands, and the majority of the planters and merchants on the islands favored the agreement as well. Few Americans, however, supported the purchase of the islands, and Congress failed to ratify the treaty before it lapsed.^® At the turn of the century, the United States once again expressed an interest in purchasing the Danish West Indies. Many Congressmen felt that American ownership of the islands was necessary for national security, for as long as the islands could be sold to another European power, there was a threat of war if the United States perceived a violation of the provisions of the Monroe Doctrine. In addition, the Danish West Indies, especially St. Thomas, had great military value as a naval and coaling station in the Caribbean. With the outbreak of the Spanish-American War and plans to build a canal across Central America, their significance became more widely understood. Many argued that the Danish West Indies were a threat to the canal and trade if a hostile foreign power controlled them. These factors, combined with the fear of German aggression in the Caribbean, led U.S. Secretary of State John Hay and Congress to once again attempt to purchase the islands from Denmark.In 1902 the United States signed a treaty in which they agreed to pay Denmark $5,000,000 for all three islands. Although Congress ratified this treaty, it was rejected by the Danish Parliament, and the United States failed to purchase the islands once again. Luther Harris Evans, The Virgin Islands from Naval Base to New Deal (Ann Arbor; J. W. Edwards, 1945), 37. ^®Ibid., 37-8. Ibid., 38-41. Evans, 40-1; J. Antonio Jarvis, Brief History of the Virgin Islands (St. Thomas, VI; NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES CONTINUATION SHEET Section 8 0MB No. 1024-0018 Christiansted National Historic Site name of property St. Croix, Virgin Islands county and State Fear of German aggression in the Caribbean became a major factor in the 1916 bid by the United States to purchase the Danish West Indies. The United States felt threatened by Germany's expanding possessions, and although the United States already had a Caribbean naval base in Puerto Rico, the U.S. government felt that the Danish West Indies were valuable to any foreign nation (especially Germany) conducting a campaign in the Caribbean. To prevent this, the United States sought once again to purchase the islands from Denmark. Indeed, U.S. Secretary of State Robert Lansing told the Danish minister that unless the United States purchased the islands, "the United States would be under the necessity of seizing and annexing them, and though it would be done with the greatest reluctance, it would be necessary to do it in order to avoid a serious dispute with the German Government over the sovereignty of and title to the Islands, as we [the United States] would never permit the group to become German."^® The Danish government, however, thought the completion of the Panama Canal in 1914 would eventually increase its commercial interests in the islands, and had no desire to sell them. The trade they anticipated never developed, and with the outbreak of World War I, the Danish government could no longer maintain the islands financially. Exports had decreased from $629,000 in 1900 to $260,000 in 1916, and the Danish government decided to negotiate with the U.S. for the sale of the islands.^” Consequently, on August 4, 1916, the United States and Denmark signed a treaty in which the United States would purchase the Danish West Indies for the sum of $25,000,000. The U.S. Congress and the Danish Parliament both ratified the treaty. The Danish minister and U.S. Secretary of State Lansing then exchanged ratifications on January 17, 1917, and officially transferred ownership of the islands to the United States. On March 31, 1917, one week before entering World War I, the United States took formal possession of the Danish West Indies and renamed them the Virgin Islands of the United States. According to the provisions of the sale treaty, property rights of the islands' inhabitants were to continue unimpaired, and the U.S. Congress was to determine their civil rights and political status. The treaty also addressed the question of citizenship; the inhabitants of the islands could either retain their Danish citizenship, or choose to become nationals of the United States.The U.S. Navy Department was to govern the islands, and Commander Edwin T. Pollock took possession of the islands for the United States during the transfer ceremonies and assumed the position of acting governor. Several months later. President Wilson appointed Rear Admiral James H. Oliver, The Art Shop, 1938), 114. Evans, 41. Jarvis, 114-5. Dookhan, 259-60. NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES CONTINUATION SHEET Section 8 0MB No. 1024-0018 Christiansted National Historic Site name of property St. Croix, Virgin Islands county and State U.S. Navy, governor of the Virgin Islands. Navy Stewardship of the U.S. Virgin Islands The United States had little knowledge of conditions on the Virgin Islands when it assumed control. Although U.S. Secretary of State Lansing reported that the islands had great commercial value, he did not fully appreciate the economic conditions on the islands, nor realize the financial liability which they had become.The Virgin Islands had long since become unprofitable, and changes were greatly needed. As the first naval governor, Admiral Oliver, noted after he assumed office: The death rate is very high, infant mortality being particularly disgraceful to a civilized community.... Three hospitals have been run with varying degrees of relative efficiency—none of them really efficient. There is a lack of proper buildings, proper equipment, trained personnel.... Sanitation is in imperative need of improvement....Adequate water supply and a proper system of sewerage is a health necessity....There are practically no food crops except a small quantity of yams and sweet potatoes....The cost of the maintenance of the islands, and of the recommended improvements [totaling $1,952,000] is great, but the need is real and vital, and aside from all other considerations, the situation is one that must be faced and corrected. This unfortunate situation is the natural inevitable result of centuries of neglect. The U.S. government must have followed Oliver's recommendations, for it embarked on an improvement campaign which corrected problems in the public health, water supply, and public education systems in the Virgin Islands. The U.S. Navy sought to increase hospital facilities, better sanitation methods, secure an adequate and safe water supply, and solve the problem of food deficiency, especially in the case of children.During the first year of its administration, the navy successfully completed some of these tasks, for it immediately reorganized the hospitals, improved the equipment in them, and provided additional medical services. According to the annual report of the U.S. Navy Department for the year of 1919, the major reforms that year were in the medical system. With the help of the Red Cross, the hospitals received better equipment. In addition, the navy extended medical services to include U.S. Navy Department, Annual Reports of the Navy Department for the Fiscal Year 1917 (Washington, DC; Government Printing Office, 1918), 75-6. 33„Evans, 43. ^^Ibid., 265. ^4bid., 226. NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES CONTINUATION SHEET Section 8 0MB No. 1024-0018 Christiansted National Historic Site name of property St. Croix, Virgin Islands county and State preventive care and increased efforts in Obstetrics and infant welfare work. The U.S. Navy also initiated a program to train native nurses at each hospital to increase the number of health care providers. The Virgin Islands benefited from these measures, for records show that with the implementation of these and other reforms, the death rate and prevalence of illnesses in the islands decreased. To provide additional health care services, the U.S. Navy converted the Steeple Building into a hospital ward for navy and marine troops stationed in Christiansted. The complex could house thirty patients in an emergency, and military personnel with serious illnesses or injuries were sent there. Members of the Virgin Islands Navy Band, however, were sent to the municipal hospital in Frederiksted.” Between 1917 and 1925, while being used as a military hospital, the Steeple Building went through several renovations. The U.S. Navy built a cistern and toilets for the hospital, and an L-shaped building was added to the church yard.^^ In addition to concentrating on health care measures, the U.S. Navy also strove to improve the water supply and sewerage systems. The first naval governor of the Virgin Islands, Admiral Oliver, urged the United States to appropriate funds to better the water supply on the island to safeguard the public health.^® His efforts were successful, for by 1920 the naval administration had cleaned the islands* cisterns and made them more sanitary. Several cisterns were built to relieve the water shortage as well, and plans to supply water to St. Thomas, Frederiksted, and Christiansted were prepared. According to the annual report for the U.S. Navy Department for 1921: The shortage of water during the dry season is a menace to life and health. This fact was recognized by the congressional commission which visited the islands in 1920 and constituted that commission's foremost recommendations. In its recommendation the congressional commission also admitted the necessity for the Federal Government to assist in building these waterworks.^® After a severe drought in 1923, the United States began to realize the "“ibid. ^^U.S. Navy Department, 1920, 935. 38Historic American Buildings Survey, "Historic Architecture of the Virgin Islands" (Philadelphia: Historic American Buildings Survey, National Park Service, February 1966), 5. ^^Evans, 267. U.S. Navy Department, 1921, 16. NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES CONTINUATION SHEET Section 8 0MB No. 1024-0018 Christiansted National Historic Site name of property St. Croix, Virgin Islands county and State importance of these measures. With the decline in trade and the shipping industry, many people in the Virgin Islands turned to agricultural pursuits for their livelihood. While sugar cane cultivation remained an important crop, cattle raising increased in prominence, and together these two activities became the main industries in the islands. A small amount of land was used for fruit and vegetable production.The shortage of water, however, limited agricultural output, created a serious loss of livestock on St. Thomas, and produced a serious sugar crop shortage on St. Croix. The U.S. Secretary of the Navy promptly implemented measures to relieve the drought and provide residents with an adequate water supply for themselves and their agricultural endeavors. In January of 1925 the U.S. Navy began work on the water supply systems of St. Thomas, Frederiksted, and Christiansted. By 1926 the water supply system of St. Thomas, as well as the Creque Dam in St. Croix (a reservoir with a 9,000,000-gallon capacity) and a 10,000-gallon reservoir in Frederiksted were completed. The navy also obtained a well-drilling outfit to drill wells for the Christiansted public water supply and for private concerns at cost to relieve the shortage. The naval administration also attempted to improve the public education and road systems in the Virgin Islands. Although it built a few roads on St. Croix, the U.S. Navy mainly concentrated on maintaining the roads in good condition, as well as experimenting with oil-surfaced roads.Improvements in education, however, were much more significant. The administration refined teaching facilities and built several new schools, while others were altered or repaired. Teachers received additional training, and more of them were hired. Salaries for school teachers increased as well, until teaching became one of the best occupations in the community. The navy also adopted a new curriculum based on the systems in Arizona or New Mexico, but with a greater emphasis on manual training and the practical arts.^^ Other naval activities included the formation of the U.S. Virgin Islands Navy Band. Captain William R. White managed the recruitment of band members, who were mostly native black Virgin Islanders from Alton Adams' Juvenile Band.^^ Alton A. Adams was also chosen to lead the band, which performed at local functions and ceremonial occasions.^® Ironically, the only division of the U.S. ^Ibid. Evans, 269-70. Evans, 270; Dookhan, 267. Evans, 272; Dookhan, 268. ''^According to a 1916 photograph, Alton Adams' band was also referred to as the Christiansted Industrial Band. Jarvis, 132. NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES CONTINUATION SHEET Section 8 0MB No. 1024-0018 Christiansted National Historic Site name of property St. Croix, Virgin Islands county and State Navy that black Virgin Islanders could join was the band, for the service was still segregated at that time.^^ Nevertheless, the all-black Virgin Islands Navy Band became an ''important economic unit in the community," and members were allowed to wear special uniforms and live at home under quasi-military rules."® As early as December 1917, the band, which was organized in Christiansted, began its daily concerts and performing for the raising and lowering of the flag at Fort Christiansvaern.Between 1917 and 1918, the U.S. Navy built a bandstand along the wharf area in Christiansted for the band to entertain navy and marine troops stationed there. Band members built the music pavilion while they were not on drill, and Peter G. Thurland, a member of the band, completed much of the carpentry work on the bandstand. The Navy Band remained in Christiansted until 1918, when all twenty-two members of the band had been recruited. It then moved to St. Thomas, where it was attached to the U.S.S. Vixen (a minesweeper stationed in St. Thomas) and received "special training."^® Under Alton Adams, who composed popular marches such as "The Governor's Own" and "The Virgin Islands," the band gained greater popularity and did much to promote the Virgin Islands during its tour of the United States in 1924.^^ The Christiansted bandstand, which still stands in the Christiansted National Historic Site, is a remnant of the U.S. Navy's work on the island, as well as a reminder of Alton Adams' U.S. Virgin Islands Navy Band. When the United States acquired the Virgin Islands, it had little experience in managing territorial possessions. Because it purchased the islands for their military importance, the governing body established under the U.S. Navy Department administered the islands under quasi-military rule. Although the U.S. Navy did much to improve social services in the areas of public health, water supply, and the road and public education systems, it did little to improve the economic and political situation of the natives. The amount of acreage under cultivation declined, and cotton and sugar production decreased. With the advent of prohibition in 1921, the manufacture and exportation of rum ceased. Severe weather, worldwide depressions, and a drop in sugar prices caused agricultural production to plummet further.By 1931, economic and political conditions in the Virgin Islands had deteriorated to the point that Gordon K. Lewis, The Virgin Islands, A Caribbean Lilliput (Evanston, IL; Northwestern University Press, 1972), 51-2. "® Jarvis, 132. "Vest End News (Frederiksted, VI), 6 December 1917. ^°Karen C. Thurland, Peter G. Thurland, Sr., Master Cabinetmaker and Bandleader (St. Croix, VI: Antilles Graphics Arts, 1994), 11. ^Varvis, 219. Dookhan, 269-70. NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES CONTINUATION SHEET Section 8 0MB No. 1024-0018 Christiansted National Historic Site name of property St. Croix, Virgin Islands county and State the administration of the islands was transferred to the U.S. Department of Interior with the hopes that it could rehabilitate the economy of the islands and make them self-sufficient.^^ Registration Requirements/Integrity Seven structures within the Christiansted National Historic Site are associated with the development of the Danish West Indies—the Government House, the Steeple Building, Fort Christiansvaern, the Danish West India and Guinea Company Warehouse, the Scale House, the Danish Customs House, and the Fort Christiansvaern Stable Building. All represent the development of the Caribbean by European powers and are eligible for the National Register under Criteria A (Event) and C (Design). The buildings reflect the growth of the Danish West Indies from company rule to crown possession and represent Danish Colonial architecture. Each retains overall integrity of location, setting, design, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. In addition, the bandstand is one of the surviving structures built by the U.S. Navy during its stewardship of the Virgin Islands. It represents a period during and after World War I when the United States was emerging as a world power, with a global military capability and the related need for offshore naval bases. The bandstand reflects the U.S. Navy's attempts to improve conditions in the islands and is a reminder of Alton Adams' Virgin Islands Navy Band. As such, it is eligible for the National Register under Criterion A (Event) and retains integrity of location, setting, design, workmanship, feeling, and association. Although the David Hamilton Jackson Monument is maintained by the National Park Service as a cultural resource, it is not currently eligible for listing on the National Register under Criteria Consideration G, Properties that Have Achieved Significance Within the Past Fifty Years, because it is not an exceptionally important or extraordinary resource. Research to date has not uncovered enough information regarding the history and integrity of D. Hamilton Jackson Park to determine whether it is eligible for the National Register as a historic cultural landscape. A historical landscape architect or cultural landscape historian will need to conduct further research to determine its significance in the future. Ibid., 271. NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES CONTINUATION SHEET Section 9 0MB No. 1024-0018 Christiansted National Historic Site name of property St. Croix, Virgin Islands county and State BIBLIOGRAPHY Babb, Robert Sumner, Regional Solicitor, Department of Interior, Atlanta, Georgia, to Jerry Belson, Regional Director, National Park Service, Atlanta, Georgia, 8 July 1997. Southeast Support Office, National Park Service, Atlanta, Georgia. Boyer, William W. America’s Virgin Islands, A History of Human Rights and Wrongs. Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press, 1983. Bradley, Robert. "Cultural Landscape Report, Christiansted National Historic Site, St. Croix, Virgin Islands." Atlanta: Cultural Resource Planning Division, Southeast Regional Office, National Park Service, January 1985. Canegata, D.C. St. Croix at the 20th Century, A Chapter in its History. New York, NY: Carlton Press, Inc., 1968. Dookhan, Isaac. A History of the Virgin Islands of the United States. With an Introduction by Richard B. Sheridan. St. Thomas, VI: College of the Virgin Islands/Caribbean Universities Press, 1974. Evans, Luther Harris. The Virgin Islands, From Naval Base to New Deal. Ann Arbor: J. W. Edwards, 1945. Greene, Jerome A., and William F. Cissel. Historic Furnishings Report, Fort Christiansvaern, Christiansted National Historic Site, Christiansted, Virgin Islands. Harpers Ferry, WV: National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1988. Historic American Buildings Survey. "Historic Architecture of the Virgin Islands." Philadelphia: Historic American Buildings Survey, National Park Service, February 1966. Jarvis, J. Antonio. A Brief History of the Virgin Islands. St. Thomas, VI: The Art Shop, 1938. Jones, David J., and Clarence L. Johnson. "Historic Sites of St. Croix, Virgin Islands." San Juan, PR: San Juan Historic Site, 1950. Lewis, Gordon K. The Virgin Islands, A Caribbean Lilliput. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press, 1972. Moolenaar, Ruth. Profiles of Outstanding Virgin Islanders. 3rd ed. Department of Education, Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands, 1992. National Park Service. "Christiansted Historic Site History." National Park Service, n.d. NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES CONTINUATION SHEET Section 9 0MB No. 1024-0018 Christiansted National Historic Site name of property St. Croix, Virgin Islands county and State National Park Service. "Virgin Islands Land Documents.” National Park Service, n.d. Olsen, Herbert. "Historic Structure Report, Fort Christiansvaern, Christiansted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.” Christiansted National Historic Site, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, August 1960. Session Laws of the Virgin Islands, 1978. Charlotte Amalie, Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands: Office of the Lieutenant Governor, 1978. Thomason, Hugh Maxson. "The Executive Aspects of the Federal Administration of the Virgin Islands, 1917-1947.” Master's thesis, Emory University, 1948. Thurland, Karen C. Peter G. Thurland, Sr., Master Cabinetmaker and Bandleader. St. Croix, VI: Antilles Graphics Arts, 1994. U.S. Navy Department. Annual Reports of the Navy Department for the Fiscal Years 1917-1930. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1918-1931. The Virgin Islands of the United States Seen Through the Eye of a Camera. Charlotte Amalie, VI: The Art Shop, 1930. Your Navy in Puerto Rico. Lubbock, TX: Boone Publications, n.d. NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES CONTINUATION SHEET Section 10 0MB No. 1024-0018 Christiansted National Historic Site name of property St. Croix, Virgin Islands county and State UTM References, Christiansted National Historic Site Government House (Discontinuous section of the historic site) Zone Easting Northing A 20 319340 1963060 B 20 319360 1963020 C 20 319280 1962960 D 20 319260 1963000 Area containing the Steeple Building, Fort Christiansvaern, Danish West India and Guinea Company Warehouse, Scale House, Danish Customs House, Fort Christiansvaern Stable Building, and David Hamilton Jackson Monument Zone Easting Northing E 20 319520 1963280 F 20 319580 1963120 G 20 319580 1963140 H 20 319480 1963000 I 20 319440 1963020 J 20 319420 1963000 K 20 319410 1963080 L 20 319310 1963280 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET REQUESTED ACTION: ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION Christiansted National Historic Site PROPERTY NAME: MULTIPLE NAME: STATE & COUNTY: VIRGIN ISLANDS, St. Croix DATE RECEIVED: DATE OF 16TH DAY: DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: 1/21/99 DATE OF PENDING LIST: DATE OF 45TH DAY: 3/07/99 REFERENCE NUMBER: 66000077 NOMINATOR: FEDERAL REASONS FOR REVIEW: APPEAL: I OTHER: N PDIL: REQUEST: N SAMPLE: COMMENT WAIVER: N ACCEPT RETURN DATA PROBLEM: N LANDSCAPE: N LESS THAN 50 YEARS: N N PERIOD: PROGRAM UNAPPROVED: SLR DRAFT: N NATIONAL: N N N REJECT DATE ABSTRACT/SUMMARY COMMENTS: dr<;l~r'ref i]) q cS f f ■furh * -2^ e. r-ho^d. 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WmmUmmm ' ^»'■v . >„,,, €CI mso^ Sapt.* ?ns g£]^^ (Insarn) ',.., '-S' ■•S; - ' ■' ..■•• — . *■' ,..^i ; “ ' "S';:S%; -i?' ■4^.. -i- :v S.-SSSS.':: 4 r--,.- ■.'■ S' S7A, 44,- - ■;. .^v- -r:.,, >.4"^ iSJ'Sif' /-S IN REPLY REFER TO: H34PC United States Department of the Interior NATIONAL PARK SERVICE WASHINGTON, D.G. 20240 JUNV W6 Memorandum To: Director, Office of Archeology and Historic Preserv^ion Through: Federal Representative to the National Register Department of the Interior From: Federal Representative, National Park Service Subject: Nomination to the National Register of Historic Places Enclosed is the nomination of "Christiansted National Historic Site," in the Southeast Region of the National Park Service, submitted in confirmation of its inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. 6-/0 Enclosure Robert M. Utley >\XJT/Qv \ y - \ United States Department of the Interior IN REPLY REFER TO: H4217-SER-PH NATIONAL PARK SERVICE SOUTHEAST REGIONAL OFFICE 75 Spring Street, S.W. Atlanta, Georgia 30303 1980 HAY-71980 Mr. Robert R. Garvey, Jr. Executive Director Advisory Council on Historic Preservation 1522 K Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20005 advisory council ON historic PRESERVATION Dear Mr. Garvey: In compliance with Section 106 of the Historic Preservation Act of 1966, we are enclosing a proposal to restore the structural and architectural Integrity of Fort Christiansvaern intChristiansted Na^j^gjmlHigtfljigSitgJ^ The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is our determination that this proposal will have an effect, on the site and structure; however, the effect will not be adverse. We have consulted with the Virgin Islands State Historic Preservation Officer, and he commented on the plan in the enclosed letter to your office. We can satisfy the concerns of Mr. Blake. The work will be done, as stated in the 106 statement, by a qualified Histori­ cal Architect. We will provide the State Historic Preservation Officer with the formula for the mortar and samples of plaster and paint on walls where it is scheduled to be removed. We would appreciate your comments. ). Thank you for your interest in the programs of the National Park Service. erely yours. egional Director Southeast Region Enclosures 3 NT OF United States Department of the Interior IN REPLY REFER TO: NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Southeast Regional Office Atlanta Federal Center 1924 Building 100 Alabama St., S.W. Atlanta, Georgia 30303 OC^ 3 ^ H32 (SERO-CRS) Memorandum To: From: Subject: RECEIVED 2280 mi 91998 NAT RFGISTEROr HISTORIC PI ACES KATIONAL PARK SERVICE Director, National Center for Cultural Resource Stewardship and Partnership Programs Att: Laura Feller, History Division, WASO Chief, Cultural Resources Stewardship, SERO National Register of Historic Places additional documentation for Christiansted National Historic Site Enclosed for your approval is the subject documentation. We have provided a copy of the documentation to the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) of the U.S. Virgin Islands for review and received their comments. These comments have been incorporated into the final document. Following your approval, please forward the documentation to the Keeper of the National Register for approval. We would appreciate receiving copies of the signed certification pages for our files. Please call Christine Trebellas at 404-562-3117 if you have any questions. Enclosure cc: Associate Regional Director, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science, without enclosure Superintendent, CHRI IN REPLY REFER TO: United States Department of the Interior NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Southeast Regional Office Atlanta Federal Center 1924 Building 100 Alabama St., S.W. Atlanta, Georgia 30303 H32 (SERO-CRS) Memorandum To: From: Laura Feller, History Division, WASO Christy Trebellas, Cultural Resources Stewardship, SERO Date: January 13, 1999 Subject: National Register of Historic Places additional documentation for Christiansted National Historic Site Enclosed are the revised pages for the Christiansted National Register documentation. You should already have the photographs, maps, and the rest of the nomination. If you have any questions concerning the new material, please call me at 404-562-3117 ext. 623. Following your approval, please forward the documentation to the Keeper of the National Register for approval. We would appreciate receiving copies of the signed certification pages for our files. Enclosure EM United States Department of the Interior NATIONAL PARK SERVICE 1849 C Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20240 IN REPLY REFER TO H30(2280) Memorandum To: Keeper, National Register of Historic Places From: JAN 20 1999 irces/ Stewardship ; Assistant Director, National Center for Cultural Resources/ Stewardship and Partnership Programs Subject: National Register Additional Documentation for Christiansted National Historic Site Attached please find for your review the subject additional documentation, signed by me. I deeply appreciate the fact that the park and the staff at the Southeast Support Office have made this documentation a priority, and wish to congratulate all involved in this effort. If you approve this documentation, please provide the park with copies of the completed signature pages, as requested by Mr. Cordell in the attached memo. Thank you for your consideration of this package. Attachments :1 1 7|i V FAOiniLf To: Christy Trebellas, SERO Fax #: (404) 562-3202 Re: Christiansted NHS Date: March I I, 1999 Pages: 16, including this cover sheet. Christy- Here is the 1976 signed docunnentation for the NHS (not the Historic District). I enlarged the map, but it may still not be legible. Do you want me to mail you a copy? Marilyn From the desk of... Marilyn M. Harper Historian National Register of Historic Places 1849 C Street, NW, Room NC400 Washington, DC 20240 (202) 343-9546 Fax: (202) 343-1836 (hfsrcU IS, fTi nrU'^rJ - \-\er«_ A Cop^ r€pr>'^-'“ \^rOcKo>r€v 'X ^ r^^^vyOL > sr,c,v..v. .o ;t c..'.u fi. fc^O Wa>/<L 't^ ■Cj ■'^ -i- V^p- v^oo fcr V;^0or Vxe.\p‘ RECt J yt \ 0 IMB10HW.REC fcEDU MWIOWALPa.'..^^ Transmittal National Park Service Southeast System Support Office Cultural Resources 100 Alabama Street, SW (1924 Rich's Building, sixth floor) Atlanta, Georgia 30303 Telephone: 404-562-3117 Fax: 404-562-3202 Fax: • From: pcs Date: ^ Pages: ^ C v^cvo<3^K>«^ coocr^ Subject: map | V^rocKvj^e Messages: ~S- nr\p\p. ;s \gx^\\^UL. v\ftrc^ fp\\.rvJ