Built in 1787, the Judge’s House represents a crucial piece of St. Barth’s judicial and administrative history during the Swedish colonial period. The residence was constructed for the island’s judge, who held the significant position of chief representative for the ‘Westindiska Kompagniet’ (West Indies Company). This trading company maintained a monopoly over commerce with the Swedish colony for the first 15 years of Swedish rule, making its representative one of the most powerful figures on the island. Following the judge’s retirement in 1833, the building’s fortune declined significantly, reaching a point where demolition was considered.
However, the structure found new purpose when Governor James Harlef Haasum chose it as his residence. The building’s history took another turn when it was sold to harbor master Carl Johan Ridder Hierta, who subsequently transferred ownership to the French state. Today, the Judge’s House stands as a testament to the complex administrative and commercial relationships that characterized St. Barth’s Swedish period.
