Hotel 1829, a historic treasure hidden in the quaint town of Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas, is officially accepting bookings after being shuttered since Hurricane Irma devastated the island in 2017.
Constructed in 1829 by French sea trader Alexander Lavalette, Hotel 1829 is a compendium of historical artifacts that can be traced to countries worldwide. Upon entering the reception area, the familiar scent of ballast brick and mahogany greets you at the door and the splendor of an authentic stained-glass window fashioned by Tiffany & Co. in 1903, hangs on the western side of the room.
Throughout the property, antique pieces found in the hotel when it was purchased have been used to adorn the infamous bar area, guest rooms, and outdoor gathering spaces. For Mark Wiechnik & Jessica Geller, the new owners of Hotel 1829, restoring and preserving the opulence of the historic hotel is a priority. Wiechnik and Geller have been supporters of historic preservation and the revitalization of the town for many years with Geller having served as a board member of the St Thomas Historical Trust for over five years and Weichnik acting on the board of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative. “Talking about preservation and revitalization is important, but for us to be able to directly put those ideas into action is really exciting. We understand the importance Hotel 1829 holds for many members of the community and we intend to honor the history and memories as we bring this gem back to life,” said Geller.
Extensive efforts to revitalize the original brick walls and painted floors were some of the more time-consuming projects that the new owners were devoted to completing. “The building, while it was in good shape, if it had sat for much longer may have been on the brink of permanent disrepair. We felt like the property was asking to be saved. We love Charlotte Amalie and this community. Watching the ongoing revitalization efforts across the historic district inspired us to take on this worthy project,” said Geller.
“We have spent a lot of time doing research in order to ensure that we restored the property in a way that closely resembled the original construction of the hotel. For instance, the historically accurate way to repoint the brick walls is to use a mixture of sand, lime, and water. We had to do a bit of experimenting to see what the perfect measurements were for this mixture and then we had to find someone who was familiar with this type of work. Everything that we were able to repair, repurpose, and salvage, we did,” said Geller.
Along with restoration efforts of the infrastructure of the property, measures were taken to revitalize and preserve some of the antique pieces that were found within the rooms. “We were able to restore an early 19th-century portrait that hangs in our reception area, which I feel so proud about. Additionally, we found artifacts such as dishes, cutlery, books, pictures, oil lamps, just to name a few, that we intentionally staged in display cases for our visitors to enjoy. Hotel 1829 is not just a hotel, but also a museum sharing elements of Virgin Islands history,” said Geller.
One of the more exciting revelations that have come through the restoration process came by way of a previous owner’s granddaughter who still has a guestbook from the early 1930s and 40s in her possession. People who stayed in Hotel 1829 during this time not only signed their names to the guest book but also left notes, poetry, and sketches among the pages. “We were given an opportunity to copy that book digitally and blow up some of the pieces of artwork that are now displayed in some of our guest rooms and common areas. It was so special to see how many people for so many years loved this space and to get to share that love with the new people who would be coming into the hotel today,” said Geller.
In recent years, one of the prominent art displays that Hotel 1829 became synonymous with was their massive amber waterfall that was said to host 12,000 pieces of high-quality amber stones. One of the most common questions asked about the reopening of Hotel 1829 is whether the new owners have kept the amber waterfall as a focal piece in the hotel. “When we purchased the property, we found that the amber waterfall had been cut down from its previous location and separated into four pieces. We have worked for months to clean each individual stone in hopes that we could eventually find places on the property where we could display the pieces of amber. One of the challenges we have faced is in figuring out the most effective way to clean the stones without degrading their quality. We hope that as word travels, someone who has the expertise may step forward and give us some insight on a viable path forward. Our ultimate goal is always restoration when possible,” said Geller.
While the bar and some of the guest rooms are ready to receive patrons, revitalization efforts at Hotel 1829 will be ongoing throughout 2025. Eventually, patrons can expect to see the opening of a new restaurant, cafe, and gift shop.
“We currently have six guest rooms ready for reservations and an active website to accommodate those bookings. Additionally, our outdoor spaces are ready to host events such as wedding receptions and birthday parties,” said Geller.
