The Virgin Islands Architecture Center for Built Heritage and Crafts, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) community development organization, is transforming the Old Barracks Property on Hospital Street in Christiansted, St. Croix, into a hub for education, preservation, and cultural pride.
Board Chair and President Mary Dema said the vision is to create something “unique to the entire Caribbean,” with the potential to be incorporated into exchange programs with schools and universities in the U.S. and abroad. VIAC has developed five-year, 10-year, and 15-year plans, which will begin with trade schools once the buildings are restored.
“We hope to initiate the trade schools first, but we have to get our buildings redone,” Dema explained.
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. “It’s hard not to get deeply involved in the mission itself — preserving history, moving culture forward, and finding creative ways to keep that mission alive,” Acevedo said.
Manager of Operations and Finances/Director of Education Programming, Amanda Sackey, emphasized that the project is not only about skills but also about heritage. “This isn’t just about teaching a trade,” she said. “It’s about understanding the why behind the art form – the story, the history, and the refined craft of historic preservation.”
A central mission of VIAC is to preserve the islands’ Afro-Danish architectural legacy. “When you drive through our towns, you’re looking at buildings built by our enslaved ancestors who came with incredible skills,” Sackey said. “These structures aren’t just Danish – they’re Afro-Danish. That completely changes the narrative and tells the fuller, more complete story.”
She also underscored the resilience of Virgin Islands architecture: “We have 300-year-old buildings that have survived hurricane after hurricane, earthquake, tsunami. They might look weathered, but they stand. There’s so much to be learned from those designs.”
Another key aspect is teaching proper preservation practices, the team emphasized. “You can’t paint limestone buildings with latex paint because it seals in the moisture,” Sackey explained. “There are very specific, intentional practices that aren’t well understood, and part of our role is to support the Historic Preservation Office in explaining why those guidelines exist.”
While construction aims to move forward, VIAC has already begun community programming thanks 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.
Their four-week summer program and internship program have been “incredibly successful,” introducing students to masonry, woodworking, architecture, engineering, drone photography, and 3D printing. The program’s goal was “to foster an understanding of how modern tools and traditional crafts can work together to preserve and sustain our rich cultural legacy.”
“We’re seeing more of our groups coming together under the same overarching theme of preserving our culture — whether through the arts, furniture design, or other creative expressions,” said Dema. “At the same time, it’s about creating meaningful connections with our youth and giving them opportunities beyond the traditional paths. Programs like this open new doors and help them see different possibilities for their future.”
“At the heart of it all, we want Virgin Islanders to have the opportunity to learn these incredible skills, to preserve our towns correctly, and to take pride in the history and resilience that’s been passed down to us,” she added.
Sackey emphasized that VIAC’s progress could not exist without the support of the wider community. “We can’t exist without our community members being able to see and value the work that we’re doing,” she said. “This work didn’t happen overnight — it’s been seven years in the making, behind the scenes.”
To find out more information and donate to VIAC’s mission, check out their website here.
