Scalemshouse, Christiansted Wharf Square vicinity, Christiansted, St. Croix, VI

Significance: Christiansted was an important trading center in the 18th and 19th centuries, and the scalehouse was a central feature in the wharf area. The building is typical of the 19th-century architecture in the Danish West Indies.

Designed and constructed by building inspector Giellerup in 1856 to replace older Scale House. The Custom House has bearing masonry first floor, wood frame second floor and hipped roof. Typical of the island architecture are the heavy lime stuccoed yellow brick walls and the wood braced frame and exposed roof trusses. All openings are spanned in brick. The keystones and quoins, formed in brick, are accentuated by stucco. The concrete shed and metal roof are twentieth century additions.
Survey number: HABS VI-3
Building/structure dates: 1855- 1856 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 1861 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: ca. 1888- ca. 1889 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1897 Subsequent Work