get to the point! NPT's Annual August Fête HULBERT AVENUE, BRANT POINT Thursday, August 8, 2013 Six O’clock in the evening
Generously Underwritten by Brown Brothers Harriman
Brown Brothers Harriman is pleased to sponsor the
Nantucket Preservation Trust 475_13
A Mission to Preserve The Nantucket Preservation Trust raises awareness and provides resources to protect the historic integrity of Nantucket architecture. For almost 200 years, BBH has been partnering with our clients to help grow and preserve their wealth.
Nichol MacManus Brown Brothers Harriman Wealth Management 212.493.8122 nichol.macmanus@bbh.com www.bbh.com
WEALTH MANAGEMENT
Thank you for joining us for the 8th Annual Nantucket Preservation Trust August Fête. This event provides an opportunity to support the advocacy efforts of the NPT while celebrating the island’s architectural heritage. The tour will provide you with a chance to learn more about the history and architecture of the neighborhood and to view firsthand what others have done to preserve and protect their historic properties. Following your tour, join us under the tent at 55 Hulbert Avenue for a silent auction, food by Nantucket Catering Company and Spanky’s Raw Bar, and music by Coq au Vin. House Tours: Properties are marked with the Fête flag and are open from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Docents are available to direct you and to answer questions. Reception: Under the tent at 55 Hulbert Avenue from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Silent Auction: Auction items are available for placed bids between 6:00 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. Winning bidders will be announced soon thereafter. Winning bidders should proceed to the check-out located at the check-in table from 8:45 p.m. to closing.
Nantucket Preservation Trust 55 Main Street - 3rd Floor • P.O. Box 158 Nantucket, MA 02554 508-228-1387 www.nantucketpreservation.org
Historic images courtesy of the Nantucket Historical Association Graphic Design by Kathleen Hay
BRANT POINT INTRODUCTION The first lighthouse at Brant Point was established in 1746 and was the second lighthouse station in North America. The current light is the seventh lighthouse at the Point and dates to 1901. The area north of the harbor contained only a few other structures for most of Nantucket’s early history. To supplement the lighthouse, bug lights were constructed to the west along the sound by the 1830s. These small lights, so named because they looked like bugs, worked with the Brant Point Light to guide vessels into Nantucket harbor.
View of Brant Point looking southeast towards the lighthouse from the cliff with the bug lights in foreground, circa 1915
Real development of the area, known as Beachside by the 1870s, began as part of Brant Point’s development as a seaside haven for summer residents. The original intent was to construct summer cottages during Nantucket’s land boom in the early 1870s, but economic recession delayed actual development. The large sandy area north of the Great Harbor was bought and divided in 1881 by Henry Coleman, Charles C. Mooers, and Elijah H. Alley, who were successful in their endeavor largely due to the c onstruction of the Nantucket Hotel begun in 1883. The hotel spurred development of summer cottages on the nearby lots, providing these new summer residents the benefits of hotel amenities. In addition, the construction of the
Cliff Shore Bath Houses, at the north end of Beachside by Charles Hayden in 1880, helped attract prospective buyers who came to the island for its salt-water bathing. Brant Point’s accessibility to town and its private setting made it an ideal resort development.
Nantucket Hotel along the sound at Beachside, circa 1900s
THE ARCHITECTURE Brant Point’s historic architecture reflects the fashion of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The first summer cottage was built by Edwin J. Hulbert, a copper mine magnate from Michigan, who built his c ottage on the waterfront between Charles and Dix Streets shortly after the land was subdivided. The road was subsequently named for him. Hulbert’s Queen Anne-style cottage, with its large porch and machine-cut decorative elements, was the most elaborate in the area, but also provided new owners with an architectural vocabulary that became the norm for new c onstruction in the 1880s and 1890s. By the early twentieth century, Shingle-style houses—lacking the gingerbread decorative elements, and with large sloping roofs, porches, and an array of shingles—were built on the Point. Colonial Revival-style cottages were also built from the 1910s through the 1940s, reflecting Nantucket’s and the nation’s interest in American history.
Edwin J. Hulbert’s cottage, with Cliff Shore Bath Houses in the distance
No matter the style, most early houses along Hulbert Avenue were set back from the road, and were typically faced with porches or verandas that provided fine views overlooking Nantucket Sound. In the twentieth century, houses were constructed closer to the road to provide space for large, private yards. Outbuildings such as stables and garages, boat houses, and guest houses were generally situated along the edge of the properties so they would not obstruct the view. Various architecture styles developed at other location on the Point as construction reached its peak in the 1910s and 1920s. Bungalows were built along Easton Street and vernacular cottages—low, one-story structures close to the street—were built around Willard and Walsh Streets. American Four Square houses constructed into the 1930s also dot the area. Unlike Town and most other parts of the island, the cottages situated on Brant Point have had room to grow and have greatly expanded over the years into the large homes that exist today. The newest development can be found along North Beach Street, Brant Point Road, and as infill projects between existing homes. Houses with modern architecture, such as 56 Hulbert Avenue originally designed by noted architect Robert Venturi, also have been built here in recent years. This year’s tour highlights an 1880s house, as well as an early twentieth century home representing the core of the Point’s key historic development.
View towards Hulbert Avenue with Victorian cottages along the sound, circa 1900s
55 HULBERT AVENUE Reception Site - Exterior Only This summer house was built for George P. and Ada Bassett of Pittsburgh, who began vacationing on Brant Point as early as 1908. Deed records indicate Bassett, who was president of a coal and iron company, purchased the lot at Brant Point in 1913. “Green Rafters” was completed sometime between 1915 and 1916, when the house is listed in local assessor tax records. Newspaper accounts note that Mrs. Bassett was a Brant Point socialite, hosting bridge at her home and list her as a patroness at many Athletic Club dances. George Bassett was also active in the community and in 1913 was elected as Vice Commodore of the Nantucket Yacht Club. The Bassetts sold the home in 1931 to Jesse and Grace Lindsay of Rochester, New York, who held the property until 1958. 57 HULBERT AVENUE Robert Minshall, a third-generation member of Nantucket’s summer community from Manhattan who had spent his childhood at his parent’s summer property, also on Brant Point, built this home known as “Blue Waters.” Minshall hired fellow New Yorker and architect William E. Shepherd Jr. to create the house plans. Ground broke on the “most desirable lot” in 1937; construction was executed by local builder Holmes & Co.
The seventeen-room structure was completed in 1938, and the Minshall family was occupying the house by July of that year. Like many of his Brant Point neighbors, Minshall was a member of Nantucket’s yachting community and one of the o riginal junior members of NantucketYacht Club. After Minshall’s death in 1944, his wife Kathryn retained the house for a time, but sold it in 1949 to gallery owners George and Ethel Vigouroux, who used the home as a space to display their extensive art collection featuring Nantucket artists. The c urrent owner purchased the property from the Vigourouxes. Today the house still features its original, two-story cathedral ceiling that evokes a ship’s hull. Research indicates that the building’s architect, William Edgar Shepherd (1891–1971), had a previous connection with the island through his aunt, Alice Vanderbilt (wife of Cornelius Vanderbilt Sr.), who built Westmoor on Cliff Road in 1917. After graduating from Harvard, Shepherd attended the Ècole des Beaux Arts in Paris, where he received a degree in architecture. Upon his return, he worked briefly in Chicago before returning to New York, where he formed the partnership Hyde & Shepherd with A. Musgrove Hyde. The firm was active in the 1920s and 1930s in the New York and New Jersey region, where much of their work involved the design of estates and other residential properties. In addition, they were the architects for the Washington County Fine Arts Museum in Hagerstown, Maryland. Shepherd served in both WWI and WWII and by the 1940s retired from architectural practice. He later moved to Washington, D.C., where he was active in historic preservation projects.
Hulbert Avenue with 60 Hulbert center right, circa 1900
View of the Shenandoah coming into the harbor under sail as she passes Brant Point
60 HULBERT AVENUE As one of the earliest homes on Brant Point, the dwelling at 60 Hulbert Avenue has seen many changes over the generations. The original owners— George Henry Emmott and his wife Elizabeth, from England—purchased the lot directly from Brant Point developers Charles C. Mooers and Elijah Alley. Construction began in 1888, when Emmott commissioned E. R. Smith, a Nantucket contractor, to build the house. George Emmott was a prominent professor of Roman law at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and summered on the island between semesters. The Emmotts, both of Quaker parentage, may have been attracted to Nantucket’s history as a home to the religious sect. Elizabeth Emmott (née Braithwaite) would go on to write a published history of Quakerism as well as other non-fiction works. In 1896, George Emmott was offered a teaching position at the University of Liverpool and the family moved back to England. The Emmotts rented their Brant Point cottage for the next two seasons and sold the property to Charles E. Kelley of Germantown, Pennsylvania, in 1898. According to newspaper accounts of the time, the house underwent “extensive alterations”
under Kelley’s ownership. In 1912, Mrs. Maximillian Sand of New York, together with her son Henry A. L. and daughter Alice L., purchased the property. The house was known as “Sand Cottage” during their o wnership, and Henry and Alice retained the property after their mother’s death. Henry Sand and his sister Alice were passionate artists who exhibited at the Candle House Studio and Easy Street Gallery in the 1920s. They later moved to Tucson, Arizona, where Alice died in 1932. Henry Sand r etained the house until 1946 when it was sold to George Storer Baldwin of C hestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The Baldwin family owned the property for the next 34 years. The current owners purchased the property after r enovations in the 1980s. Among the early features are its interior transom lights, old door hardware, and its butler’s pantry with original copper sink. npt
A crowd gathered at Brant Point to view the landing of two seaplanes, 1918
AUGUST FÊTE SILENT AUCTION A silent auction will take place in the tent beginning at 6:00 p.m., with bids closing at 8:45 p.m. sharp! Join in the fun. Your participation helps us to continue our work advocating for historic preservation. Sampling of our silent auction items: • Four tickets to the Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees game at Yankee Stadium on September 7 • Breakfast, lunch and dinner packages at Black-Eyed Susan’s and The Chanticleer • Golf Outings at the Nantucket Golf Club and Sankaty Head Golf Club • Two nights at the Winnetu Oceanside Resort in Edgartown • A collection of original Tony Sarg puzzles • A tour of New York City’s vintage shops with lunch for two along the way • Weekend at the Ocean House condo with spa in Watch Hill, Rhode Island • Cocktail party for 30 on South Wharf
2013 AUGUST FÊTE CONTRIBUTORS We extend a special thank you to Brown Brothers Harriman, our corporate underwriter of this year’s August Fête. In addition, we would like to thank the property owners: Barbara Fife Tony and Cynthia Lamport David and Perrin Lilly With special thanks for their research on Brant Point: Christine Harding Kara Litvinas Kelly Perkins The Nantucket Hotel for their support and for donating the bus t ransportation and Kathleen Hay Designs for underwriting the graphic design and printed materials for this year’s event. The following individuals provided financial support for the event at the Leadership Level (as of July 26):
BENEFACTORS
Janet and Sam Bailey Susan Zises Green Kim and Jeff Greenberg Charles and Kaaren Hale Kathleen and Robert Hay Amos and Barbara Hostetter Marie and John Sussek
PATRONS Mr. and Mrs. E. D. Atkinson Mary Randolph Ballinge Edward H. Benenson Foundation Mimi and Tom Brome Mary and David Brown Bill and Laura Buck Laurie and Bob Champion Nancy and Al Forster Barbara Sachnoff Mendlowitz
Ann and Craig Muhlhauser Sharon and David Northrup Marcia and Tom Richards Susan and Kennedy P. Richardson Maria and George Roach Samantha and Mark Sandler Peter C. Steingraber Suellen Ward and John Copenhaver
CONTRIBUTORS AND DONORS Ken and Gussie Beaugrand David and Kathy Cheek Christopher Dallmus Martha Dippell and Daniel Korengold Caroline and Doug Ellis Mark and Lynn Filipski Elliot and Barbara Gewirtz Thomas and Elisabeth Giovine Ray and Elizabeth Grubbs Ann and Peter Holmes Diane and Art Kelly Thomas A. Kershaw Frank and Sharon Lorenzo Carol and Dick Lowry Winnie and Chris Mortenson Sally and Michael Orr Kathryn and Roger Penske Bill Porter Marcia and Tom Richards Ellen and David Ross Andrew and Denise Saul Ruth Sayer Reverend Georgia A. Snell Esta-Lee and Harris Stone Jane and Wat Tyler Mr. and Mrs. Donald W. Van Dyke II Pam and Will Waller Eileen Shields-West and Robin West
AUGUST FĂŠTE COMMITTEE Nancy Forster, Honorary Chair Kathy Arvay, Special Events Chair Marie Sussek, Volunteer Chair Members: Caroline Ellis, Mary Helen Fabacher, Susan Zises Green, Barbara Halsted, Kathleen Hay, Barbara Saxon Morgan, Marcia Richards, Esta-Lee Stone, Pam Waller, Suellen Ward
NPT BOARD OF DIRECTORS Executive Committee Christopher Mortenson, Chair Ken Beaugrand, President David Brown, Vice President Thomas Richards, Treasurer Pam Waller, Secretary Nancy Forster, Personnel Directors Kathy Arvay Samuel Bailey Mary-Randolph Ballinger Christopher Dallmus Caroline Ellis Mary Helen Fabacher Mark Godfrey Susan Zises Green Carol Kinsley Michael Kovner Ethan McMorrow Marcia Richards Esta-Lee Stone Lydia Sussek Marie Sussek Suellen Ward
STAFF
Michael May, Executive Director Ema Hudson, Membership and Special Events Coordinator Marisa Holden, Marketing Associate Kara Litvinas, Summer Intern Kelly Perkins, Summer Intern
Become a Member of the NPT The Nantucket Preservation Trust, a nonprofit, membership-supported organization formed in 1997, has more than seven hundred members dedicated to the preservation of the island’s historic architecture. Membership Form Name: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address:_________________________________________ Summer Address:___________________________________
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Leadership-level members receive two tickets to the Summer Kitchens House Tour and invitations to special donor receptions.
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Nantucket Preservation Trust P.O. Box 158 • Nantucket, MA • 02554 508-228-1387 www.nantucketpreservation.org
NANTUCKET PRESERVATION TRUST proudly presents the 2013 August Fête The NPT is a nonprofit, membership-based organization with a focus on the preservation of the island’s historic architecture. We provide programs that explore the architecture and history of the island’s buildings, and strive to increase awareness of the importance and f ragility of these resources.
OUR PROGRAMS Annual Speakers Program • Apprenticeships • Architectural Studies Architectural Lectures • August Fête Brief, Concise, and Comprehensive House Histories Historic District CommissionTestimonies • Historic Research House Markers • House Resource Assistance • Interior Surveys InterviewingYour Old House • Kitchen Marketplace Landmark History Books Main Street ArchitecturalWalkingTour • Neighborhood Book Series Preservation Awards • Preservation Easements Preservation Month Programs • PrivateWalkingTours Ramblings • ’Sconset Architecture and HistoryTour Summer Kitchens HouseTour •Traditional Building-Methods Demonstrations
NANTUCKET PRESERVATION TRUST 55 Main Street - 3rd floor • P.O. Box 158 Nantucket, MA 02554 T: 508-228-1387 www.nantucketpreservation.org Copyright©2013 Nantucket Preservation Trust