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BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS — In what is shaping up to be one of the Federation’s most alarming heritage preservation blunders, the $1.8 million restoration of the iconic Old Treasury Building — home of the St. Christopher National Trust and Museum — has become a cautionary tale of government delays, contractor walkouts, and endangered national treasures.

Originally slated for just nine months, the ambitious restoration project was greenlit in July 2023 with a contract awarded to Trinidad-based Parvenir Restoration — a reputable firm famed for its work at Brimstone Hill. But after a dramatic start, the project quickly spiraled into uncertainty.

The repair works began in September 2023, encasing the historic building in scaffolding and hoarding, only for the effort to grind to a halt three months later when the crew returned home to Trinidad after the Government failed to provide necessary funds for already completed work. It took until July 2024 — nearly seven months later — for payments to resume, and a further delay until February 2025 for all financial disputes to be settled.

The shocking lapse in funding left the project in limbo and, more disturbingly, placed irreplaceable museum artifacts at risk. With the roof reportedly leaking and walls continuing to crumble due to decades-old incompatible repairs, heritage advocates warn the damage could be irreversible.

Despite recent assurances from the Government and renewed commitment from Parvenir, skeptics remain wary. A fresh reassessment of the structure is now required before works resume this April, with hopes — and prayers — for completion by year’s end.

“This is not just a building. It’s a living archive of our nation’s story,” said a concerned cultural activist. “To abandon it mid-restoration is a national disgrace.”

As questions mount over project mismanagement and the slow trickle of public funds, the Federation must now reckon with the cost — not just in dollars, but in historical legacy.

#HeritageAtRisk #OldTreasuryDisaster #NationalTrustUnderThreat