The historical significance of its placement is obscured by the fact that it is now surrounded on its eastern and western flanks by made land; it originally occupied a narrow peninsula that jutted south into the harbor.

The north, east, and west sides at one time were further augmented by ravelins, and there was originally a circular stone tower in the center of the fort.

[4] The first attempt by the Dano-Norwegians to settle Saint Thomas took place in 1665, and failed in part because the colonists were caught between the actors of the Second Anglo-Dutch War, who raided them for supplies.

[4] Governor Jørgen Iversen Dyppel led the second expeditionary force from Denmark-Norway to St. Thomas, where he arrived on 25 May 1672; there, he initiated construction of Fort Christian, named after King Christian V.[5] In the 18th century, the fort was expanded and in 1874 a new entrance with a Victorian Clock tower was added.

[6] As the oldest standing structure in the U.S. Virgin Islands, this fort has served as a town center, a government building, and a jail.