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Senators occupy office space
in a jewel of a structure located downtown in
the Historic District in the Capitol of the
United States Virgin Islands—Charlotte Amalie,
St. Thomas.
The Capitol Building has a
historic background, which is almost comparable
to that of its immediate neighbor, Fort
Christian.
The original building,
constructed in 1828, was a wooden structure.
These quarters used as barracks are documented
on a map of St. Thomas of 1730, which shows the
barracks and its installations which includes
water batteries on which 8 cannons were located;
officers barracks; noncommissioned officers
barracks; senior and junior clerks barracks;
musketeers barracks, prison chambers, catchment
and wine cellar.
The present building is a
reconstruction of the original and was completed
in 1874 as the Roman numerals (MDCCCLXXIV) on
the building verify. Among the significant
events, which took place on its grounds, was the
official transfer of the Danish West Indies to
the United States in 1917.
After 1917 the building
served as a barracks for the U.S. Marines and in
1931 when the islands experienced a change of
government from Naval Rule to Civil Government
the building was transferred to the Department
of Interior.
Two other significant uses of
the building were Charlotte Amalie High School
and wartime purposes during World War II.
In 1956, with assistance of
federal funds, it was restored and later
occupied by the Legislature and the Department
of Social Welfare.
Presently the building serves
only as the Legislature with accommodations for
private and other related offices such as the
law library, legal counsel and business offices.
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