Customs House, Cruz Bay Park
Photo by Hannele Koivumaki
"The U.S. Marines originally built the “U.S. Customs House,” located in Cruz Bay Park, in 1917. They used it for their St. John headquarters during the period in which the Department of Navy governed the Virgin Islands, following the Islands’ transfer to the United States. Two shed roof additions extended from the original 20-foot square building.
Its subsequent use reflects a wonderfully varied history including its use as a clinic/hospital, the headquarters for the Virgin Islands National Park, a 5th & 6th grade annex of the Julius Sprauve School, a Customs office for the U.S. Immigration & Naturalization Service, and as a travel agency. Eleanor Gibney “remembers clearing in from the BVI upstairs and purchasing plane tickets downstairs, when I was old enough to be doing those things by myself.” This landmark was demolished in the 1980s." St. John Hisorical Society