The Old Police Station
Until it was demolished in 1937, this warehouse building, bearing a remarkable resemblance to a modern-day army barracks, was a home to the Island police force. Police officers stationed on St. Maarten were trained and recruited on the sister island of Curacao.
A tidy allowance had to be paid to reluctant officers as an inducement to accept a post on the desolate island of St. Maarten. The old Police Station was a stone's throw from St. Maarten's most popular (still up to present day) and most photographed building: the courthouse which was built in 1793.
The Old Police Station is meticulously reproduced here using modern building techniques and materials, complete with the original and very huge barrack doors. When opened, these doors allowed in the fresh trade winds from the then adjoining Philipsburg pier. The building has served as a public shelter during hurricanes. It also has provided temporary storage space for government when the nearby courthouse was used to house administrative offices.
Marker is on Cruise Ship Terminal (The Harbor Point Village) 0.03 kilometers from Juancho Yrausquin Blvd, on the right when traveling north.
Courtesy hmdb.org
