A New Sunday Market Square
St. Croix Foundation firmly believes that the health of St. Croix’s towns plays a pivotal role in the community’s social and economic development. As part of our focus on Community Revitalization, the Foundation has taken the lead in rebuilding and revamping our historic town centers through several ongoing initiatives.
In 1998, through the acquisition of seven buildings, owned by the bankrupt Community Development Corporation, St. Croix Foundation committed itself to reviving the once healthy commercial center historically known as Sunday Market Square. As the official entrance to downtown Christiansted, Sunday Market Square, or “Times Square” as it is commonly referred to, for centuries served as a center of commerce and a communal meeting place for slaves and freed coloreds. It remained a gathering spot among St. Croix’s residents through the mid 1900s. However, after several decades of neglect and social decay, coupled with the devastation of Hurricane Hugo in 1989, the Square became host to seedy elements in the community.
The Foundation’s blueprint for Sunday Market Square includes the rehabilitation and comprehensive upgrade of its properties. Our overall vision was born from the belief that once property owners and potential investors witness our commitment, they will, in turn, follow our lead. To date, the Foundation has restored four properties now occupied with viable commercial businesses, and we are currently in the process of rehabilitating the Old Chase Building at 22-23 Market Street. The building will house a brand new Business Incubator.
As the most visible restoration in the Square, the Market Street roadway was entirely updated in 2005, featuring an aisle of mature mahogany trees, granite curbing, historic lighting and buried utilities. This project was funded by the Federal Highway Administration and the V.I. Department of Public Works.
Additional funding has been provided by private donors and public grants from the V.I. Community Development Block Grant Program, the Waste Management Authority, the V.I. Public Finance Authority, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development and Urban Forestry Council – local and federal government entities that have bought into the Foundation’s mission and vision to restore St. Croix’s historic towns.