This is amazing news! The Virgin Islands Architecture Center for Built Heritage and Crafts is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) community development organization and it is transforming the Old Barracks Property on Hospital Street in Christiansted, St. Croix, into a hub for education, preservation, and cultural pride.
According to St Croix Source, VIAC has developed five-year, 10-year, and 15-year plans, which will begin with trade schools once the buildings are restored. Project Manager Xavier Acevedo, who is overseeing the execution of the project, described the first phase as stabilizing the building shell through plastering, replastering, and installing a historically accurate rebuild of what was once the Christiansted High School.
Historical preservation is also a priority for this project. VIAC has already begun community programming with the help to federal and private funding. Some of the VIAC’s current projects include the rehabilitation of the Barracks building, college internships and summer programs, and storytelling and placekeeping at the old Barracks property.
Read the full article here.
Black and white photo courtesy of VIAC. Color photo courtesy of Linda Morland, St Croix Source