Commissioner Jean-Pierre L. Oriol of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources and State Historic Preservation Officer of the Virgin Islands announces that the Virgin Islands Historic Preservation Commission (VIHPC) has elected a new Chair for the period 2023/2024.
In May 2023, VIHPC members elected Kurt G. Marsh, Jr. as its new Chair. Mr. Marsh is a member of the VIHPC’s St. Thomas-St. John Historic Preservation Committee and is a professional woodworker, architectural designer, community activist & father. He obtained his bachelor's degree in fine arts and professional master's in architecture from the Savannah College of Art & Design.
Mr. Marsh is also the owner & Principal of design studio MAJJ, LLC, and seeks to use the firm as a vehicle to critique socio-cultural constructs regarding identity & culture in a ‘post-colonial’ St. John, VI. He maintains membership with the American Institute of Architects (AIA), and the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA); is the Vice President & Co-founder of St.JanCo: The St. John Heritage Collective; is a Commission member on the Virgin Islands Coastal Zone Management Commission-St. John, and serves with several other local non-profits, boards, and local government agencies in differing advisory capacities.
Commissioner Oriol congratulates Mr. Marsh on his election as VIHPC Chair and looks forward to working with him to further the goals and objectives of preserving and restoring the Virgin Islands Historic Districts. For guidance on historic preservation matters, please contact the Virgin Islands State Historic Preservation Office at St. Thomas 340-776-8605 and St. Croix 340-719-7089 for information and resources relating to filing applications with the VIHPC.