ST. CROIX — The St. Croix Historic Preservation Committee has acted against unauthorized construction taking place along a sidewalk in front of a building in downtown Christiansted, where a business owner has enclosed a section of the stairway and erected a concrete planter without approval.
Colette Woodson Burgess, chair of the St. Croix Historic Preservation Committee of the Virgin Islands Historic Preservation Commission, said the committee reached out to the contractor about the sidewalk construction.
“They’re supposed to not continue any work,” she said.
Burgess emphasized that the matter is between the property owner and the commission, though she acknowledged that multiple community members have complained about the construction in the historic district.
“We’re trying to rectify this problem,” she said, noting that the property owner is now aware construction on the sidewalk is not allowed without prior approval. “We’re not there to make people look bad or to give them a hard time. We’re there to help.”
Attorney Trudy Fenster, who owns the building located on the corner of Custom and Church streets, failed to appear at a scheduled St. Croix Historic Preservation Committee meeting on December 11, 2025, despite being invited to attend, Burgess said. She said commissioners attempted to reach Fenster by phone and text during the meeting but received no response.
Burgess said Fenster has been formally invited to attend the commission’s next virtual meeting scheduled for Thursday, adding that Fenster agreed to participate.
“We’re going to present everything to her on Thursday — what she did, what she shouldn’t have done, and what we are proposing that she will need to do going forward,” she said.
In addition to enclosing half the stairway with bricks, a concrete planter has been erected under one of the arches between two columns. The planter is supported by cinder blocks, which have also been installed under two other arches as well as atop the bricks blocking the stairs. Only one concrete planter has been built.
Burgess said the commission could have worked with Fenster if she would have submitted the proper application prior to construction.
“She could have come to us, and we could have given her other options to close off that space,” Burgess said. “But not those things there. They have absolutely nothing to do with the visual appeal of that building.”
WTJX was unable to reach Fenster for comment and a message was not returned as of publication time.
