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.

On Tuesday, half of the auditorium at the Charlotte Amalie High School was filled with students, education administrators, teachers, and community members interested to learn more about the creation of the Virgin Islands Technical College, with two campuses being fabricated, one on St. Thomas and one on St. Croix.
The VI Technical College is currently in development. Through Bill BR25-0642, the school will offer hands-on skill courses for students. The town hall Tuesday was held to address community questions, concerns, and ideas about technical education and workforce readiness, and to share information about the programs and opportunities at the Virgin Islands Technical College.
Sana Joseph-Smith, policy adviser to Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. for education and workforce development, Sen. Avery Lewis, Lavern Richardson, project director, and V.I. Education Department Commissioner Dionne Wells-Hendrington sat on the town hall panel to address the audience. The Education Department, the University of the Virgin Islands, the Raphael O. Wheatley Skills Center, and the St. Croix Career and Technical Education Center are also collaborating to ensure the success of the school.

According to Joseph-Smith, the institution will be for secondary (high school) and postsecondary (adult) students. She also shared with the audience that the funding will be provided from a congressional grant through the delegate to the Congress’s office to establish the school.
“Why should we have to go someplace else when we have the skills and the ability to do that right here? Why do we have to spend so much money when they can do that right here?” asked Joseph-Smith to the audience. She added that the school will “give our students and our community the opportunity to skill-up.”
“For far too long our young people have faced a difficult choice, whether to leave the Virgin Islands in pursuit of opportunity, or to stay and struggle with limited options,” Lewis said.
The VI Technical College will be housed at the Raphael O. Wheatley Skills Center campus on St. Thomas and the St. Croix Career and Technical Education Center on St. Croix. Courses such as welding, electrical, cosmetology, hospitality, millwright, child care, business, computer engineering, culinary arts, and phlebotomy will be offered, similar to those already available at both technical school campuses. The licensed practical nurse and elementary education courses, however, will offer associate degrees as opposed to certificates.
“What’s missing, Dr. Francis will always tell me ‘a lot’, is the resources,” Smith said.
Currently, the pro forma for the legislation to establish the schools has been created. Once the legislation passes, the school will undergo an accreditation process with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Lewis said that the bill is not complete or final, but needs to be strengthened and added that the entire process to establish the college will take between 10 and 12 months.

Before opening the floor to questions from the in-person audience and those viewing online, Richardson, project coordinator, addressed frequently asked questions.
Will the instructors continue to be members of the American Federation of Teachers, are there going to be salary changes, will instructors have 10 or 12 month schedules, are the programs going to change? These questions were addressed.
Teachers “will be able to form their own union,” replied Joseph-Smith. “We’ve met with the unions and they’ve decided that there’s another branch they can use for instructors at a technical college.”
She added that at this time, there will be no changes in salaries and schedules will remain at 10 months.
Working closely with the panel, Monique Faulkner, state director of Career, Technical and Adult Education, responded that the CTE programs will be revisited to enhance the offerings, such as allowing associate degree programs. She added that a free electric vehicle certification program will also be offered.
Joseph-Smith noted that although Faulkner said the program is free, it will only be free to those who obtain scholarships.
The audience had many questions concerning the school’s operations, the impact of courses now offering associate’s degrees instead of certificates, funding, and opportunities for continuing education.

Joseph-Smith informed the audience that there will be a chancellor heading the college, and according to Lewis, a 14-member board will be established, comprising 11 voting and three nonvoting members, who will manage the school. According to the pro forma, the nonvoting members must be appointed by the governor and “actively teaching in the career technical educational field.”
Regarding funding, because the school will operate under the education department, “VIDE will be its fiduciary, its financial backer,” said Joseph-Smith. “We are not using any new local funds. We are using our resources that we currently have at Wheatley and CTECH,” she said, and shared that money will come from congressional funding and another unconfirmed source.
Additionally, the panel discussed the job market and encouraged future students to seek careers that are currently in demand, rather than targeting oversaturated fields. Faulkner even spoke about the college’s intention to integrate programs into “employment” fields as opposed to “entrepreneurial” fields, such as aesthetician courses becoming medical aesthetician courses and massage therapy becoming medical massage therapy courses, to get funding for students in these programs.
Overall, though there were many questions raised by the audience, there appeared to be a hopeful outlook from community members.
A town hall is scheduled to take place on St. Croix this Friday, at 6 p.m. at the Educational Complex. For more information about the college, please contact Smith at sana.smith@geo.vi.gov or Lewis at avery.lewis@legvi.org.