Christiansted National Historic Site Landscape: Cultural Landscape Report, Christiansted National Historic Site, National Park Service

Bradley, Robert

Cultural Landscape Report for the Christiansted National Historic Site Landscape. The Christiansted National Historic Site Landscape is located on St. Croix in the Virgin Islands. The site contains four historic structures: Fort Christiansvaern (completed by 1749), the Steeple Building (1753), Danish Custom House, and the Scale House (1855-56). A wall surrounding the fort was built in 1835. Together, these landscape features provide an image of the experience at Christiansted during the period of colonial administration under the Danish. The period of significance might be defined at 1830-1917, based on the span of research for this report and the time of Danish civil and military establishment at the fort. In 1917, the area was transferred from Danish to United States sovereignty. Aside from the addition of Hamilton Jackson Park and street paving, few other changes have been made since this time. Fort Christiansvaern is the best preserved of the five remaining Danish forts in the Virgin Islands. Constructed mainly of bricks brought from Denmark as ballast in sailing ships, the fort appears much as it did in the 1840s and serves as an example of seventeenth and eighteenth Danish colonial military architecture. The Old Danish Customs House was mostly completed between 1828 and 1830. Here, the colonial government collected customs; it later served as a post office and library. The Scale House contained an office for the weighmaster, responsible for weighing and inspecting imports and exports, as well as housing for troops associated with Customs Service. The first Lutheran church on the island, the Steeple Building, was constructed in 1753 with the steeple added in 1794. After 1831, it was used by the government as a military bakery, hospital, and school. Changes in military purpose and the fort’s function affected how the grounds were maintained. Most of the significant changes to the landscape had occurred by 1840. Illustrations and early images of the areas within the walled fort depict a generally open landscape of hard-packed earth with several trees near the buildings. These characteristics were due to the amount of foot and – eventually -- vehicle traffic that impacted the terrain, along with the occurrence of tropical storms. Archeological investigations suggest fill was added to some areas in 1903 after it became used as a jail yard, create a level space for soldiers to stand and also improving drainage. Efforts to stabilize the water front area can be noted as early as 1835, and the site now features a concrete promenade extending to the dock. Other features of the site include a sentry box (1896) and the bandstand in Hamilton Jackson Park, which dates to a later period and was in need of repair at the time this report was published. This 1985 report of the cultural landscape at the Christiansted National Historic Site includes a brief background of each structure, historical documentation such as illustrations, and conclusions and recommendations based on these findings.

Christiansted National Historic Site Landscape: Cultural Landscape Report, Christiansted National Historic Site, National Park Service

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