Restoration work at Whim Museum on St. Croix is moving ahead after the St. Croix Historic Preservation Committee approved a package of rehabilitation plans for several buildings and exterior features across the Estate Whim property.

Grant Engineering Construction Services presented the scope for a disaster recovery effort that targets about five buildings, plus additional site structures and features, with the goal of returning them to pre-disaster condition. The St. Croix Landmark Society serves as the project’s grantee.

A major focus is the Great House, a prominent structure with thick stone walls. Project architect Brian Ray said the building’s condition requires major intervention, including a full roof reconstruction after inspections found extensive termite damage, wood rot, and water damage that compromised the timber roof structure. The existing roof framing uses traditional mortise-and-tenon timber construction, and the project team recommended keeping that approach while switching to pressure-treated lumber to reduce future termite damage and wood rot. Plans also call for standardized, milled 6-by-6 members in place of the existing mix of timber dimensions, while maintaining a similar finished appearance.

Committee members pressed for clarity on what changes were proposed and asked about FEMA review, since disaster recovery funding is part of the project. The team reported that drawing sets had been uploaded for review.

Beyond the Great House, the application covers repairs to the connected C Building complex that includes a research library and archives, plus work on a former stable now used as an office, a small stone bathhouse, and a cottage known as Granny House. Site elements listed in project documents include a windmill, chimney and animal mill remnants, an animal run, grass and gravel paving, and brick pavers.

For crews working preservation projects in storm-prone regions, Whim’s plan highlights real jobsite priorities: lock down approval paths early when FEMA funding and historic review run in parallel, document existing conditions before material standardization, and spell out responsibility for masonry repairs and stucco repairs in the construction documents. The plan also includes storm-resilience details such as cages for air-conditioning units and added fasteners and clips to keep building elements secured during high winds.

Read the full, original article from St. John Source here.