The Vineyard Building is one of Sint Maarten’s Monuments. The area was named after the estate, which probably got its name from the grapes that were cultivated around the house. The estate house has a twin on Martha’s Vineyard USA, off the coast of Massachusetts. In 1871, the van Romondt family imported the house from Baltimore, Maryland USA. It was delivered by schooner as a pre-cut/pre-fab building package to our island. The rectangular-shaped house consists of two stories, topped by a saddle roof. The front facade is on the short side. A staircase from the garden leads the visitors to the first floor where the living quarters are placed. The doors and the sash windows are fitted with wooden shutters. Both of the side facades are covered with white shingles, while the front facade has horizontal weatherboarding and decoration of gingerbread fretwork lining the roof, rail, and veranda. In the middle of the gable is a gold-colored star, the meaning of, other than decorative, is not known. The bottom floor is used for storage and has a large kitchen and several utility rooms. As of 1938, the van Romondt family sold the estate to Mrs. Coralie Buncamper. After her death, it went to Mrs. Bernadette Buncamper who, like the new family members who inherited it from her after her passing, kept it in pristine shape.
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