John and Tricia Thompson thoroughly enjoy the island lifestyle and entertain no thoughts otherwise. Hospitality and entertaining family and friends at their magnificent St. Croix home has been immeasurably gratifying. Now, though, seasons of their lives are changing and it’s time to enjoy the Caribbean, minus the home-ownership. Their 5 bedroom, 5 bath home is on the market, ready for new memories to be made.

Years ago, a family-owned contracting business in Atlanta, Georgia, positioned John to be subcontracting with a British firm in Nassau, New Providence Island, Bahamas, rebuilding from hurricane damage. Successful business relations led to other construction work in the area that included a hotel in the Atlantis resort on nearby Paradise Island.

Then, in 1989, the aftermath of Hurricane Hugo called John and his construction team to the U.S. Virgin Islands. Even experiencing St. Croix at its worst during this time, John saw the potential and fell in love. “New Providence Island, Bahamas, is relatively flat and low-lying…

St. Croix has knolls with views and lush valleys.”

John and Tricia have been St. Croix residents now for 22 years. Their home is atop a knoll on the East End, providing a stunning, unobstructed, panoramic view of the Caribbean Sea and other islands. There are many things they love about their home, but John notes a particular practical feature. “At this elevation, you don’t experience the salt damage and bugs like near sea level.”

Naturally, John served as his own contractor when building their home. As with his commercial work, he used local labor for everything else. “Even the architect was local, but Tricia and I designed the interior.” John laughed as he shared that the architect took a station wagon as payment.

The design is Danish colonial like downtown Fort Christiansvaern circa 1749 with cathedral style interior ceilings and arched doorways. The structure is concrete.

Another key feature of the home is the 9.7kW solar array, which is net metered.

The solar system was installed 5-6 years ago and that was a no-brainer. We saved the cost within the first 3 years or so.”

This home was definitely made for entertaining and the Thompsons have some great stories. “No question Tricia is the hospitality chairman. We hosted the University of North Carolina women’s golf team and the coaches for drinks and dinner in the winter of 2014. We both attended UNC where we met.”

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Earlier on, they hosted Ted Kennedy and his family for cocktails.

My daughter and her husband were also with us. The interesting thing about this, we were all conservative in nature and were all prepared to dislike him, and within twenty minutes he won us all over. Totally a charming personality and never once mentioned politics.”

The Kennedy family visited St. Croix often. In fact, Teddy hid Vicki’s engagement ring near some coral for her to discover while snorkeling at Buck Island, which was established as a National Monument by his brother, President John F. Kennedy. Speaking of Buck Island, the landmark is about 1.5 miles north of St. Croix and easily seen from the Thompson home.

The Thompsons have family roots in Georgia and North Carolina, but don’t plan to release the island lifestyle anytime soon. Our best wishes John and Tricia — we’ll see you around!

If you would like to learn more about the opportunity to be the next owner of 5G Teagues Bay, contact Kristi at kristi@fedeles.com or 340.778.7000 x114.

Bud and Joan Woelfel have thoroughly enjoyed the St. Croix snowbird lifestyle for more than 50 years — with nearly 30 years in their spectacular home that is now for sale.

Joan and I have two sons and I was a school teacher in Massachusetts. Our vacation time was limited to 10 days, so in February 1964, we left winter in Massachusetts to briefly enjoy the warm winter temperatures in Florida. Well, it was colder than normal that year and we had to buy coats to keep warm. I decided then that we needed a more predictable vacation weather.

So the very next year, the Virgin Islands, then specifically St. Croix, became their choice vacation destination.

After teaching for 20 years, Bud launched his successful business in the construction industry. He is quick to say, “I just enjoy what I do.” Bud and Joan live in Harwich Port, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and have enjoyed vacations, then retirement, in winter on St. Croix. During stays on island, the couple would do home tours and Bud was particularly interested in the island construction.

One particular property in Cotton Valley caught their attention. It’s structure, having been built with conventional construction, did not survive Hurricane Hugo. But Bud and Joan had a vision to recreate the estate according to the original design, now using substantial, hurricane-resistant construction materials and techniques.

Designed by John Randal McDonald, an architect often compared to Frank Lloyd Wright, this estate embraces the importance of a natural setting. McDonald encouraged homeowners to be aware of the elegance of the natural environment. At 600 feet above sea level, the intentional design maximizes the stunning St. Croix views. Valance lighting accents the construction elegance both inside and outside. “At completion, we invited Mr. McDonald to visit and see his design return to life. He cried as he witnessed our appreciation for his creation.”

Just like he had placed the order yesterday, Bud shared, “There is 15,000 linear feet of Redwood, 300 cubic yards of concrete and 30,000 lbs. of rebar.” He does enjoy construction and is a strong believer in preventative maintenance which he personally continues to this day.

The Woelfel’s have hosted up to 80 people for dinner. Bud describes his wife as a true hostess. “She had this down to an art-form, with all that was needed from tables and chairs to dinnerware and silverware.” Dining can evolve inside and outside, and, consistent with what first brought them to St. Croix, the weather is highly predictable. “We could plan a dinner for next month and be reasonably certain the weather would be as expected.”

I remember my 50^th birthday celebration. We invited 26 friends from Massachusetts and it lasted 2 weeks! Dinner parties among friends are common on St. Croix and we used to average about two dinner parties here a week.

Bud and Joan enjoy cruises and plan to continue the snowbird lifestyle, yet leave the hosting to others. We wish them well as they shift into yet another season of their lives! And we look forward to meeting the next owners who will appreciate this knoll-top masterpiece.