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Form No. 10-300 ^0-^■*' UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OE THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM - . / data sheet FOR NPS USE ONLY DATE ENTERED a SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN HOWTO COMPLETE NATIONAL REGISTER FORMS TYPE ALL ENTRIES - COMPLETE APPLICABLE SECTIONS (NAME HISTORIC Little La Grange 11 (n' AND/OR COMMON ILOCATION STREETS. NUMBER /V- r r —NOT FOR PUBLICATION CITY, TOWN Frederiksted JL. VICINITY OF CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 1 STATE U.S. Virain Islands CODE 78 COUNTY St rnniY CODE n«nn CLASSIFICATION CATEGORY —DISTRICT JLbuildingisi —STRUCTURE —SITE —OBJECT OWNERSHIP —PUBLIC -^PRIVATE —BOTH PUBLIC ACQUISITION —IN PROCESS STATUS JLoccupied —UNOCCUPIED —WORK IN PROGRESS ACCESSIBLE XYES: restricted PRESENT USE -^AGRICULTURE —MUSEUM —COMMERCIAL —PARK —EDUCATIONAL XPRIVATE RESIDENCE —ENTERTAINMENT —RELIGIOUS —GOVERNMENT —SCIENTIFIC —BEING CONSIDERED —YES: UNRESTRICTED —NO —INDUSTRIAL —TRANSPORTATION —MILITARY —OTHER: Howner of property Mr. Kai Lawaetz STREETS. NUMBER Box 98 CITY. TOWN Fredericksted, St. Croix vicinityof STATE U. S. Virgin Islands HLOCATION of legal DESCRIPTION COURTHOUSE. REGISTRY OF DEEDS.ETC. Recorder of Deed. STREETS. NUMBER Government House CITY. TOWN Christiansted STATE St. Croix. U. S. Virain Islands □ REPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS TITLE Historic American Building Survey DATE ^FEDERAL STATE COUNTY LOCAL DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS National Park Service CITY, TOWN Washington, D. C. STATE DESCRIPTION CONDITION ^EXCELLENT HOUSe —DETERIORATED —GOOD jtRuiNs Out Building CHECK ONE —UNALTERED JCALTERED CHECK ONE JCORIGINALSITE —MOVED DATE- —FAIR —UNEXPOSED DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (IF KNOWN) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE uttle La Grange lies 1.5 miles northeast of Fort Frederik, Frederiksted, St. Croix. The site of an early 19th century sugar plantation and later cattle farm. Little La Grange is significant for its great house, animal and windmills, and its aqueduct, the only example on the island of St. Croix. Dates of construction are unclear for the complex of buildings at Little La Grange with the exception of the additions made to the great house -- a two-story porch and smaller entrance porch on the facade, probably built in the 1890s, and a two-story kitchen with upstairs bedroom, forming an addition on the northeast, reported by the owner to have been built in 1909. The great house is a two-story rectangle approximately 40' by 48' with a two-story addition on the northeast corner of approximately 16' by 16' . the main facade faces west. Both the foundation and the main story are constructed of brick, coral and rubble masonry in a lime mortar and stuccoed. The main story is original to the building, while the upper story of wood frame construction, sheathed and clapboarded, is either a later replacement of an earlier story of similar type, or an addition without precedent. Flat corner boards articulate the corners, extending over both stories on either side of the main facade, and continuing only to the plain, slightly projecting belt course in the rear. A later two-story Victorian porch with an enclosed gallery in the upper story, supported by six square columns framing a veranda on the lower story, has been added to the front facade. A decorative bargeboard with a trefoil pattern spans the bays between the columns on the first story, extending to the capitals of the columns. The lower story is approximately 12' high and the second story 10' high. The house has two entrances on the front (west) and rear (east) facades. On the west, the access is by a "welcoming arms" staircase with walls fanning at the base, covered by a small entrance porch with a gable roof and decorative bargeboard trim. The porch roof is corrugated metal. Access to the second floor of the addition on the northeast is by an exterior masonry and stucco staircase of two flights. The second flight is supported by a central pier, which divides the space under the staircase into two open arches that act as passageways under the staircase. The house is four bays by three bays on the lower story, with the second bay, the entrance door. The upper story is unevenly divided. The enclosed porch on the front facade has six windows; the south facade, five; the north facade, three (due to the interruption of the addition) and the rear facade, seven (due to the full-length window with a central semicircular balcony). The bays of the later, upper story are not in alignment with those of the story below. The addition has a window on each of the three sides. The six bays of the first story of the front porch correspond with the upper porch story, rather than the four bays of the lower story. The columns partially obscure all but the door opening, which is framed by the third and fourth columns. All windows and doors have molded casings with lug sills, and are fitted with shutters. The windows on both ends of the second story porch level are glazed two by two double hung, while all other windows are jalousies, fitted with two louvered panels. All the hardware on the shutters is wrought iron, and includes drive pintles, continued... Form No, ip-300a (fiev 10-74) UNITtD STATES DEPARTMENT OE THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF fflSTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY receivedJUN 2 1976 DATE ENTERED <7 r. CONTINUATION SHEET ITEM NUMBER PAGE two U.S. Virgin Islands Inventory of Historic Places May 1976 x State Virgin Islands Planning Office Charlotte Amalie U.S.V.I. Form No. 10-300a (Rev. 10-74) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF fflSTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM FOR NFS USE ONLY RECEtVEDJUN 2 DATE ENTERED CONTI NU ATION SHEET ITEM NUMBER 7 Strap hinges, bar brackets and sill hooks. PAGE One The roof is without a cornice, and has a continuous metal gutter. It is hipped and covered with corrugated metal. The interior of the first floor is divided into four sections extending from the front to the rear on an east-west axis. The second section contains the two front and rear doors, allowing for cross ventilation. The third section contains the two-flight mahogany staircase leading to the upper story, while the flanking sections are divided into two rooms each. The kitchen is in the northeast corner, and is entered from a side room. The second floor includes a gallery across the facade, and a large central room with a fine example of the typical West Indian "tray ceiling". There are two rooms on either side of the central space, that do not correspond exactly to the room division of the first floor. The gallery is partitioned from the main central room by a Greek revival arcaded wall, consisting of a wide semielliptical arch in the center, flanked by two narrower arches. The arches, which have a molded architrave trim with keystone, spring from square columns, with a molded pedestal, fluted shaft, and molded capital. A six bay section of a two-story aqueduct is located approximately 150' north of the greathouse. Built of rubble masonry two feet thick, the aqueduct originally extended across the present access road to a cistern and the factory building, now in complete ruins. This is the only aqueduct to have been constructed on St. Croix. The remaining six round-headed arches are lined with brick and the walls have been stuccoed. One-story ruins of a flume used to transport the rendered cane juice to the factory lie between the aqueduct and the house. This remaining section also has six arches with brick linings, which are segmental in form. The stucco on rubble masonry walls have been consolidated and patched in many places, including the infilling of a number of arches when the enclosed area was used as a calf pen in the early 20th century. There are also the ruins of an animal mill approximately 200' to the east of the great house. The mill is circular, approximately 20' in diameter at the outer face. The walls are of rubble masonry stuccoed and are five feet thick. The mill is entered through a barrel vaulted opening in the western quadrant, with the opening lined with brick. The walls, battered on the exterior, terminate in a shallow parapet, with a four foot wide pathway forming a concentric circle approximately two feet below the top of the wall. There is an inaccessible windmill on a ridge approximately 600' to the east of the great house. GPO 892 455 SIGNIFICANCE PERIOD —PREHISTORIC —1400-1499 —1500-1599 —1600-1699 -XI700-1799 -XI800-1899 —1900- AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE -- CHECK AND JUSTIFY BELOW ARCHEOLOGY-PREHISTORIC ARCHEOLOGY-HISTORIC -XAGRICULTURE -X4RCHITECTORE __ART —COMMERCE —COMMUNICATIONS —COMMUNITY PLANNING —CONSERVATION —ECONOMICS —EDUCATION • -ENGINEERING -EXPLORATION/SETTLEMENT —INDUSTRY —INVENTION —LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE —LAW —LITERATURE —MILITARY —MUSIC —PHILOSOPHY —POLITICS/GOVERNMENT —RELIGION —SCIENCE —SCULPTURE -SOCIAiyHUMANITARlAN —THEATER —TRANSPORTATION —OTHER (SPECIFY) SPECIFIC DATES BUILDER/ARCHITECT STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE Little La Grange is significant for the early 19th Century remains of the typical building of a sugar plantation as well as a noteworthy aqueduct and flume in fairly good condition. The brick and brain coral rubble masonry walls of the great house are original, dating from Ca. 1800, and there is an unusual Victorian frame two story enclosed gallery added to the front in or around the 1890's. The first recorded owner of Little La Grange was Hendrick Jakob Fibiger (1776). During part of the 19th century. Little La Grange was part of the Logan Estate. After the decline of the sugar economy, the owners of Little La Grange grew pineapples and bananas and raised cattle. Little La Grange has been the property of the Lawaetz family since 1896. ; ; : r-rc-tafl' hriR;?! .■ijo'ifV .'i3us;i^nT'' frii !" ' nn rnrt('f‘l ?or. i al p'- .. (; 8) :v i’S >:oi j ?o'i f. r . T c i. • ■' iT Imajor bibliographical references Dookhan, Issac. A History of the Virgin Islands of the United States. Epping, Essex: Bowker Publishing Company, 1974. Lewisohn, Florence. St. Croix Under Seven Flags. Hollywood, Florida . The DUkane Press, 1970. Lewisohn, Florence, (ed.) Henry Morton Sketchbook and Diary, 1843-44, Copenhagen: Danish West Indian Society, 1975. QHgeographical data ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY. UTM REFERENCES » fO J I I ■ I ZONE EASTING J I ■ 1 F ! I _L J LLi_L i I I L NORTHING 17° 43' 46" North Latitude 64° 51' 56" West Longitude bLlJ i I . I . 1 1 L ZONE EASTING d1 . I 11,1 NORTHING I__ L I I . I ■ I I I VERBAL BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION ui LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES STATE CODE COUNTY CODE STATE CODE COUNTY CODE niFORM PREPARED BY NAME/TITLE Samuel N. Stokes, Russell Wright, Annie Hillary. Margaret Proskauer. Virgin Islands Historical Survey ORGANIZATION Virgin Islands Planning Office DATE May 18. 1976 STREETS NUMBER Post Office Box 2606 TELEPHONE (809) 774-1730 CITY OR TOWN STATE Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands 00801 Estate historic preservation officer certification THE EVALUATED SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS PROPERTY WITHIN THE STATE IS: STATE__ X LOCAL NATIONAL. As the designated State Historic Preservation Officer for the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89-665), I hereby nominate this property for inclusion in the National Register and certify that it has been evaluated according to the criteria and procedures set forth by the National Park Service. STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER SIGNATURE TITLE Director of Planning DATE May 26. 1976 FOR NPS USE ONLY CERilFY TH HIS PROP fCLUDED IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER {“SS^EcroR, ofiiCE 0F>mc(^ a ATTEST. RVATION DATE KEEPER OF THE NATIONAL REGtSTE Qo • U-lc GPO 892. 453 •S'- Little La Grange Statement of Significance While the 18th to 19th century estate of Little La Grange contains the remains of both an animal mill and a windmill, its most significant plantation structures are the great- house, small but ambitiously detailed on the main facade and on the interior, and the well-preserved remains of an aqueduct and flume, the only such structures extant on the U.S. Virgin Islands. The greathouse is the result of two major stages of constuc- tion: the first around 1800, following the typical domestic building style of this period, in which the rubble masonry walls of the main story and perhaps an original frame second story were built under a hipped roof; the second around 1890, in which a fine two-story gallerie in the decorative Victorian style was added to the main facade. The interior also contains some noteworthy embellishment from this later period, espec­ ially a fine example of the West Indian "tray" ceiling and additional detailing finished in the earlier, neo-classical style. Reflecting both typical and outstanding characteristics of the Danish West Indian vernacular tradition in both the beginning and end of the 19th century, the greathouse represents an eclec­ tic example of this plantation building type not found elsewhere in the U.S. Virgin Islands. ■i- Little La Grange (continued) The primary reason for establishing a permanent European settlement on St. Croix was to develop agriculture. The aim was to cultivate cash crops that could be shipped to the mother country for high profits. The principle cash crop in St. Croix was sugar. Little La Grange was one of over 160 sugar plantations functioning on St. Croix in 1800. The struc­ tures and ruins of these plantations portray the agricultural economy at its peak and add interest and beauty to the Cruzian landscape. The first recorded owner of Little La Grange was Hendrick Jacob Fibiger (1776). During part of the 19th century. Little La Grange was part of the Logan Estate. After the decline of the sugar economy, the owners of Little La Grange grew pineapples and bananas and raised cattle. Little La Grange has been the property of the Lawaetz family since 1896. Property State Kq, working Number-^^^ 76. 5^F ^f, Cr-oi/ TECHNICAL Photos Maps / CON^^ 6,9^ 7c; Ct<yUL^, TU^Uky U>..^rrr^^A=^^ Zc'-^cC ,«.’(,.<( ^L’'-t,^7; t'~(Vy X^l. \ ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIAN , J-L«- >»^4k.‘/c-^ft jSW- ->LC_;..ct\ '/. , V C^t'C^Xi^L/. /6C'/~ ■ ^ ^6 ARCHEOLOGIST OTHER 1 HAER Inventory Review REVIEW UNIT CHIEF ^^^^hchIef GSb. I0-Ic5-16 KEEPER tA. National Register Write-up Send-back Federal Register Entry /^~7"-?^ Re-submit Entered 0^ 2 2 1976 • NT:2106-74 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service WASO No. 7 ENTRIES IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER STATE VIRSIH ISIAHDS OCT 2 Date Entered Ncune Llttl* La Graaga Uon. Roa da Lugo Regional Director» Southeast Region 880 Mmott/row 11/3/76 Location Traderlkstad vicinity St. Croix Island Also Notified State Historic Preservation Officer Mr. Thasas Blake Planning Director Virgin Islands Planning Board Charlotte Amalie St. Thomas, Virgin Islands 00801 .■'I INT:2950-75 ^ NS, Data Sheet OST 21 Wb DATE: v/s /-y^ _ Reviewer INITIALS: '>o DOE AS IT APPEARS IN FEDERAL REGISTER: OTHER KArES: ^ CD, location: / / -f- / j^,-^STR£ET* NUMBCR K £' /^/XXC'bjL.'lA-h'^^tiZcA CONGBESblUNAL DISTRICT j COUNTY ^ SlCWiy oy<5£> ^^WNER OF property: (Circle) ^^Arapstate local gov’t mdnicipal county other FEDERAL(AGENCY NAME)! MID ATLANTIC SOUTHEAST MIDWEST SOCTHVffiST ROCKY MOUNTAIN VEST PACIFIC NORTHTEST ADMINISTRATOR(underline) NFS REGION: (CIRCLE) N.ATLANTIC features; A 2Ls :nterior Exterior Substantially intact-1 XSubstantially intact-2 ^ Substantially intact-3 _ urJenown - 4 __un)cnovm.-5 _unknown -6 _not applicedJle - 7 — not applicable - 8 _.Not applic£d:le-9 / -.Interior, exterior, environs not lntact-0 ^ u !lexceiunt ^4lrv^<z^ _^tcriorated _u^ltered JTmiginal site Bruins IeSCltered _moved _UNEXP0SE0 O -Reconstructed _Un)cnown —Unexcavated —Excavated X Subi IRONS CONDtTION ■ w; I.EXCEIUNT —GOOD —FAIR ACCESS- (^^es-restricted^ Yes-unrestricted No access historic district? yes Unknown WITHIN NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICT? IF YES, NAME: YES WITHIN NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK? IF YES, NAME: YES ADAPTIVE use; YES Saved ? YES NO FUNCTION (S); (use vocabulary words) now- ■M "3 ,/^ignificance: —ARCHgOLOGYPREHISTORIC .LANDSCAPE ARCH'TFCTL'RE .REUGION .ARCHEOLOGY HISTORIC —ARCHEOLOGY ^Agriculture Architecture —ART .COMMERCE .COMMUNICATIONS Claims .CONSERVADON .ECONOMICS .EDUCATION .ENGINEERING .EXPLORATION, _JNDUSTRY —INVENTION _LAw/GOV*t/pOliticS —SCIENCE _UTERATURE —MILITARY —MUSIC —PMIIOSOPMY —POUTICS/COVERNMENT —entertainment _health __recreation —soaAi/HUMANiTARiAN Settlement _socio/cultural -TRANSPORTATION __urban & commun —OTHER (SPECiFYi planning 'first- vEs NO **oldest’- YES planning i A '«Olily»-» NO ARCHITECTUliAL STYLE.* architec^m.builder; landscap(/garden designer; interior decorator; ETHNIC group; engineer; \ artist/artisan: ' builder/contractor; names; (label role & appropriate date) personal events irtu-)iu^^nnL0 institutional IBOO^'2-'S<ia^ ^^TESI date of construction (specific date or 1/4 of century): 0 0 .0e «4jUb iAdeei Qp "major" alterations: (c /,f- “ el^-f HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT DATE(S) : 2 source; (OP NOMINATION) OTHER acreage; PRIVATE FEDERAL AGENCY: LOCAL GOV'T MUNICIPAL COUNTY (to nearest tenth of cui acre) / Q COMMENTS; (include architectural information here) 7tu/~zT' a significance •(maximum two sentences) - ClHcL^ ^ -tU /C9oZ) ^ ^ f(/tv ^ /L*U- crv-t^ /£2.^^<X V^9^n'tSco IV ARCHITECTUIiAL STYLE.* architecy'm.builder: . landscap(j/garden designer;^ interior decorator; ETHNIC group; names; (label role & appropriate date) personal engineer; k artist/artisan: ^ builder/contractor; events institutional <^^+VU)use. I ^0^ lBOOi'2-'5«l?i^ dates; date of construction (specific date or 1/4 of century) i 66^ \&°lOy^'\r<MCX^ dATE(S) of "major" ALTERATIONS: 4 HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT DATE(S) : f Q ^ ^ ^ ’ ft 0 source: (OF NOMINATION) PRIVATE OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY: LOCAL GOV"T MUNICIPAL COUNTY acreage; (to nearest tenth of an acre) /Q / . A COMMENTS# (include architectural Information here) gima^ canfi^ V) » lu'*U D*«‘'5+) 6*,Jy mmsg ^urte e.,:M’vea plantatia: s ialna^^ flttfiS. ;t a-;'-! ^ -----