74.7 F
Charlotte Amalie
Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesHopes for Mountain Top Surging Once Again

Hopes for Mountain Top Surging Once Again

Mountain Top ground is broken by stakeholders in the new facility. Gov. John deJongh Jr. is fourth from right, next to owner Abe Franco to his left.Mountain Top will reign once again. The reopening of the island property, a place firmly fixed in the memories of islanders who have grown up here and remembered by tens of thousands of tourists, was celebrated Tuesday morning.
It was an institution; it was iconic. A visit to St. Thomas without a trip to Mountain Top and a sip of a famous banana daiquiri was simply unthinkable.
Until last May 18 when it burned to the ground.
The grand old building on a 1,574-foot mountain was honored in poetry, song, moving memories and some politics. Borrowing from William Blake, master of ceremonies Tom Bolt intoned: "Great things are done when men and mountains meet." And vocalist Kenya Eugene
gave a rousing a capella rendition of "Climb Every Mountain."
Abe Franco, vice president of Attraction Management Group, who owns the property along with partners Eyal Barazany and Isaac Benjamin, expressed his astonishment at the announcement of the rebuilding. "The love showered upon us, the emails, the calls. Everybody was behind us," he said. It didn’t take 24 hours, Franco said, before the decision to rebuild was made.
"We were devastated, in shock," he said, "but we decided to restore it, the heart and soul of the community. And, it means so much to the local economy."
Franco reflected, "We learned a lesson: you don’t appreciate what you have until it’s taken away. You can lose it all in an instant."
Gov. John deJongh Jr. spoke vividly of his experience at the fire that destroyed it. "I remember the last time I was here, the massive and coordinated emergency response to the fire. It was so well-coordinated. When the water supply became critical and the Fire Service needed help, individual water carriers came up the hill. All the emergency services worked together. I was so impressed."
The governor said he was also impressed with the Mountain Top owners after the fire. "They came to see me, climbing the three floors to my office, alone, just the three of them – no lawyers, power point presentations. They came to create jobs."
Noting the critical role of tourism in the territory’s economy, deJongh said, "With this effort, we are signaling the community’s commitment to investing in one of our most well-loved attractions, a project that will create 30 to 50 V.I. jobs at a time when our nation is struggling with layoffs, deficits, and other economic challenges. It is truly an honor to celebrate this new beginning for Mountain Top."
Monique Sibilly-Hodge, acting Tourism commissioner, applauded the efforts of Franco and his partners for "moving forward to reopen the facility." She said, "This is much more than a groundbreaking … and much more than a ceremony. It is a rebirth and renewal of faith in the future of our territory."
Sen. Patrick Simeon Sprauve, standing in for Senate President Louis Hill who had to be at a St. Croix meeting, lauded the new owners and the community for its support of the project. "Mountain Top means so much to everybody, and it means a great deal to the economy, as well. It is a very good thing."
Noting to much applause that the new facility will have a sprinkler system, Michael deHaas of Springline Architects said "the likes of what happened here will never happen again."
He then unveiled plans for the new structure. Noting the three previous times the facility has been rebuilt, deHaas said the "third time is a charm," adding, the new building will utilize green technology, with solar panels on the roof. The walls will be concrete, with a steel trussed roof. It will have the famous outdoor-indoor bar and observation area.
The plans include a Pirates of the Caribbean museum, a stroll through a replica seaport and aboard a pirate ship, filled with authentic artifacts, the owners say.
Folks circulated after the brief ceremony, exchanging memories. Sibilly-Hodge, who grew up in the area, said, "I remember playing here as a child. It was so lush and green, and they were always hospitable to us. They’d give us virgin banana daiquiris."
Raul Carillo remembered the high school dances … and the daiquiris. "Virgin? Well, maybe."
Sen. Carlton Dowe, a former fire chief, said, "I have mixed emotions. I grew up near here, too, but what comes to mind is the fire. I remember a fire nearby when we worked so hard to make sure it didn’t get to Mountain Top. This is one reason I worked hard to get the Dorothea Fire Station open, to protect this area. It’s so personal to all of us."
Veteran newsman Lee Carle had a singular memory. "I proposed to my wife, Juel Jeppeson, right over there," he said, pointing to a what is now a blank hunk of cement. He smiled, shaking his head. "This was in the late fifties. Dan Danvers bought this property from the navy for a song."
And Carle revealed, at last, the secret of the famous daiquiris.
"To get outside to see the view, you had to climb out a window onto the deck, and there was a fig banana tree right there. And," he said, pausing for effect, "That is how the daiquiris started."

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Keeping our community informed is our top priority.
If you have a news tip to share, please call or text us at 340-228-8784.

Support local + independent journalism in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Unlike many news organizations, we haven't put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as accessible as we can. Our independent journalism costs time, money and hard work to keep you informed, but we do it because we believe that it matters. We know that informed communities are empowered ones. If you appreciate our reporting and want to help make our future more secure, please consider donating.