It was an ordinary day. Opened the link to one of my favorite sites, "TravelTalkOnline." The site is a forum for those who enjoy travel throughout the general Caribbean with links to Cancun, U.S. Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, St. Martin/Sint Maarten, etc. The last site I mentioned is one which my wife and I enjoy visiting and reading about on a daily basis. As I opened the site today I was greeted by some bad news from the Sint Maarten, or Dutch side of the island. The Daily Herald newspaper published a story telling of the possible demise of The Pasanggrahan Royal Guest House which is located in the capital of Philipsburg.
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| The Pasanggrahan Royal Guest House in Sint Maarten |
Carol and I have made many visits to the Pasanggrahan for lunch during our visits to the island. Beautiful place with some of the most interesting history. The historic hotel is in financial trouble and may be put on the auction block as early as tomorrow. An Italian group is rumored to be ready to bid on the Pasanggrahan and will demolish the historical property to construct "a casino village". There is also an Indian group that may bid on the property and also demolish it. This second group has already destroyed many of the old houses, stores and monuments in Philipsburg and would destroy the final piece of history which remains on Front Street in Philipsburg. The Pasanggrahan was established in 1904. The historic building was originally used as a residence for the island's governor and the Dutch royal family when they would visit the island. The Hotel is also home to the Sint Maarten Classic Yacht Club. Carol and I love the atmosphere when we enter the front door right off Front Street. The place just oozes history! On Monday, November 5, 2018 I posted a story on this site titled "The Rooster Crows."  |
| 1951 photograph of the Pasanggrahan |
The story describes our visit to the hotel that year to eat lunch. Tells about the name of the place and its meaning of "guesthouse" in Indonesian. At one time it was the summer home of Dutch Queen Juliana. Today the International Airport on the island is named after Queen Juliana. But, before that, the place was a rooster farm in the late 1880s where ancestors obtained chickens, eggs and goat milk to prepare meals for the family, hence the symbol of the "rooster" or the "founder" of Pasanggrahan.  |
| The outdoor dining area along the boardwalk |
To the rear of the Inn is Philipsburg's boardwalk which houses the Inn's Sidney Greenstreet Bar which sits next to the dining area. The Pasanggrahan sports peacock bamboo chairs and Indian spool tables that sit under a gilt-framed oil painting that features the portraiture of the "Dutch Queen."  |
Damage done to the hotel after the 2017 hurricanes. It still
looks like this today |
It was in 2017 that the Pasanggrahan Hotel sustained tremendous damage due to Hurricanes Irma and Maria in September of that year. The main building and hotel rooms were "catastrophically destroyed" and still shows that damage today.  |
| New construction, but the virus stopped visitors from filling the rooms |
It has been tough to finance the rebuilding of the hotel. And now, with the COVID-19 pandemic, it is impossible to fill what rooms have been redone. These factors have put the hotel in a financial predicament and has led to the possible auction of the historical site tomorrow. There has been an outpouring of concern, but unless someone comes up with the money, it may be the end of the historical building on the boardwalk in Philipsburg. I have a hard time trying to imagine another casino along the boardwalk. Many concerned members of the community are saying that the government of Sint Maarten should not allow history to be erased with the destruction of the Pasanggrahan, but its the money that will determine what happens. It always is "THE MONEY!" Sad to think that this beautiful piece of architecture will no longer exist. I feel so sad for the people of the island who have had so many other pieces of history destroyed over time. This is the last piece of history that remains. Perhaps someone will step up and stop the destruction. We will see! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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