July 15, 2002 – The old, unused V.I. National Park visitor center on St. Thomas across Vessup Bay from the Red Hook ferry dock will be torn down. Superintendent John King said demolition is to start July 22 and will take about two weeks.
King said the building is unsafe and that there are no plans to replace it.
The facility on the National Park Service dock has sat unused for several years. It had been utilized primarily by people taking tours to the park on St. John and also had served as a waiting room for Westin and Caneel Bay Resort guests awaiting pickup by private ferries.
The park service also owns an adjacent office building which was used as park headquarters until staff based there relocated to Cruz Bay, St. John, about two years ago. The building is now empty.
King said the office building is slated to be used by the U.S. Geological Survey as a field station. He said the Geological Survey staff now housed at the park's Lind Point facility will move to the Red Hook building and that he expects they will be joined by additional staff and graduate students. "The park will benefit from the additional scientists and post-docs [doctoral students]," he said.
King had no date for the move to take place.
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