Tucked neatly in the corner where Theodore and Commercial Street meet in Vieux Fort, stands a wooden building that has withstood not only the elements, but more than a century of change. With its intricate fretwork, tall shuttered windows, and expansive upper gallery, the two-storey structure is a striking example of a traditional architectural style that is now increasingly rare across Saint Lucia.
While much of the island’s built heritage has quietly disappeared — demolished in the name of progress or lost to neglect — this building has endured. This past week, it became the focus of public interest when an old photo shared online sparked a wave of nostalgia, civic pride, and renewed questions about preservation. Many praised its craftsmanship and durability, especially considering the number of natural disasters Saint Lucia has experienced over the past century.
Believed to have been built around 102 years ago, the structure was originally a family residence. Today, it remains privately owned by a Saint Lucian who resides overseas, St. Lucia Times has confirmed.
According to historian and author Dr. Jolien Harmsen, the strong public response highlights the cultural and historical value that Saint Lucians still attach to these types of buildings.
“I think they’re [older structures] important. I think they’re especially important when you see that people care about them — care about them being maintained, and fixed up,” Harmsen explained.
“If there are sufficient numbers of them, they can really transform a community.”
Dr. Harmsen sees Vieux Fort as a unique case where the decline of commercial activity in the town’s centre may have inadvertently spared some of its architectural gems.
“Downtown Vieux Fort is dead, dead, dead… but sometimes neglect like that is actually a good thing because some of the nice old wooden structures that we still have, still remain.”
While Saint Lucia’s west coast towns like Soufrière and Laborie have seen some notable historic wooden buildings demolished or replaced, Vieux Fort may offer a second chance. Harmsen points to several homes still standing in the town which have been maintained by local families.
“There are a few people in downtown Vieux Fort who really seem to appreciate and understand the value of their own family’s property,” she said.
She sees potential not only for preservation, but for revitalisation. Harmsen draws a comparison to Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, particularly its Front Street and Back Street, where businesses operating from older-style buildings have helped create a warm, traditional atmosphere that attracts both tourists and locals. She believes Vieux Fort and other towns around Saint Lucia could follow a similar path, but only with the right mindset, policy support, vision, and financial investment.
“If done right, it could contribute to community tourism and local economic development,” she noted.
The case for saving Saint Lucia’s historic buildings isn’t only aesthetic or nostalgic. According to Harmsen, these wooden homes often have an architectural intelligence that modern concrete structures lack, especially in tropical climates.
Referencing a Dominican book titled Still Standing, which documented historic structures that withstood extreme weather far better than newer developments, she said, “People love to say that it’s the little old wooden houses that can fare better in a hurricane than the big new concrete structures.”
Many of these houses were designed with natural ventilation in mind: large windows, high ceilings, and shaded galleries that allow airflow and cooling — features that could provide relief in a Caribbean which is increasingly impacted by rising temperatures and extreme weather.
“We mustn’t forget… Not just the charm of the little old wooden tropical architecture that we have, but also the functionality of it.”
While public admiration is heartening, Dr. Harmsen says it must be met with structural support from both government policy and community action. She advocates for an official inventory of heritage buildings across the island and a clear framework for their protection — something the Saint Lucia National Trust had previously begun but was unable to complete.
“It’s always a difficult thing because it’s private property. But I mean, they can do it in other countries, no reason why we can’t do it.”
What’s missing, she suggests, is not the will, but a coordinated effort between government agencies, property owners, historians, and local communities.
“Similar to what they did with the Derek Walcott House, I’d love to see us maintaining what we have — the old wooden buildings — and also study them and learn from the building techniques.”
Well said Dr Harmsen. So many beautifully constructed but unfortunately neglected old buildings, have gone the way of the bulldozer. They need protecting, restoring and showcased for both local and tourists’ appreciation. Adaptive re-use principles. All over the world people appreciate local heritage. Please Government and other bodies that Dr Harmsen has mentioned along with tourism organisations, get together and create the necessary policies and legalities to preserve St Lucian heritage. Restoration and conservation could also provide special skills building as well as employment.