The old sugar boiling house (2017). Sint Maarten Archaeological Center SIMARC Foundation / Jay Haviser photo.
The often-forgotten Mary’s Fancy Plantation, purchased by General pension fund administrator APS, is home to veiled monuments and is undergoing a transformation which aims to both restore its historical monuments, and bring the property back to life by means of building a boutique hotel, art gallery and restaurant.
APS has undertaken investments to generate return that will contribute to growing the pension capital for St. Maarten, and purchased Mary’s Fancy Plantation in July 2014.
Visible from the outside is the reconstruction work that APS has had executed on the rock wall alongside the L.B. Scott Road, the entrance and exit roads of the property, and there has also been the reconstruction of a bridge and upgrade of the Zaegersgut. This has been part of its first phase.
The next phase will be characterised by the renovation of the four monuments that lay inside, and the new construction.
The Mary’s Fancy Plantation was an old sugar plantation in the late 18th century, and was later used as a hotel from 1963 to 1976. The Plantation House was once a restaurant, which APS aims to restore and include in the multi-functional area to be developed in the new year.
The property was owned previously by Ms. Elizabeth Reitz, who described the location as a “forgotten” part of St. Maarten in a 1988 newspaper article. It was also previously owned by the Van Romondt family.
Despite its location on a busy thoroughfare where you would expect to hear traffic and everyday life, the property exudes serenity, peacefulness and calm. Hidden away amongst the flora are its monuments, historical structures, artefacts and once-upon-a-time quaint cottages.
The property contains four monument structures: the former owner’s residence – referred to as The Plantation House – the sugar boiling house, the servant’s quarters and a brick oven.
The Plantation House is a large structure that consists of stone basement walls, a wooden structure on the second level and a large wrap-around porch.
The old sugar boiling house is a structure with a unique large brick chimney that consisted of large stone-mortar, an open interior building with fire-stoke holes on the southwest side of the structure.
The servant-quarters are a small stone-mortar structure with a doorway and windows that have modern plaster cover on the wall. Its location is between the Main House and the sugar boiling house. It is believed to have been used as accommodation for helping/waiting staff of the owner’s family.
The brick oven is a historical stone-mortar oven which appeared to have undergone repairs before, based on the visible cement/plaster work on it. The patch work was done by one of the previous owners.
Unfortunately, the brick oven was damaged due to fallen trees caused by Hurricane Irma in September 2017. APS will do its best to have the oven reconstructed using pictures of what it looked like and other local examples of ovens.
APS is currently working with architects on the preliminary design to start the upgrade of this beautiful historical property that will contain a high-end eco / boutique hotel, an art gallery, and a restaurant that is surrounded by the preserved trees, some of which are Royal Palms, Mahogany, Sandbox and Ficus trees.
The next phase for the Mary’s Fancy Plantation is the preparation of the property for the restoration of the monuments. This includes the demolition of the vacant cottages that do not have the same historical value. Special precautionary measures will be taken to ensure protection of the monuments that are on the property, says APS.
