In 2016, the US Department of Interior determined that Cruz Bay meets the criteria for quality of significance to American history, architecture, and culture to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places as a National Historic District. This designation was the result of the hard work of volunteers and was a big win for the island: it has the potential to open up new revenue streams and can be leveraged to draw tourism dollars and interest back to St. John after the storms.

The St. John community survey administered by the Long-term Recovery Team indicated strong support for local arts, cultural heritage, and historic preservation on the island, with over 90% of respondents desiring to see more activity in this area. Seventy percent of respondents indicated restoration of downtown buildings as one of their most desired improvements in Cruz Bay. The survey results support the findings of the economic and the arts and culture working groups: The people of St. John care about preserving, protecting, and expressing their island’s history and culture. To build Cruz Bay back strong, recovery efforts need to do more than restore buildings to operable condition—they also need to make the case for investment by current and future residents, businesses and stakeholders. This can be done in part by building a positive neighborhood brand. The newly designated historic district provides a perfect jumping-off point for the Cruz Bay community to build such a brand and thereby rebuild market demand and outsider confidence in the long-term viability, marketability, and stability of Cruz Bay, and by extension, St. John. This could be viewed as heritage tourism, focusing on telling the history of the island in public and private spaces. In the long-term, this project can expand beyond the historic district to promote the historic nature of St. John and tell the story through educational and arts displays in public and private spaces/facilities – in the National Park and in Coral Bay and the eastern side of the island, which is the home to many historic areas and events.

IMPLEMENTATION STEPS: 1. Identify a coordinating entity to create a vision, brand, and plan for preserving and promoting the historic district. 2. Engage residents and stakeholders to develop a plan that summarizes the assets that the neighborhood has to offer and implements a range of creative strategies to reinforce the new brand. 3. Conduct market research, set goals, and identify target markets for heritage tourism. 4. Continually monitor results and refine their strategies to ensure that the goals are met. 5. Install signs and plaques to educate community

Key Players: USVI State Historic Preservation Office; St.JanCo Alignment: Econ, NCR, IS RSFs Cost: < $100,000 Timeline: One - Three Years