Ramblings 2012 by Nantucket Preservation Trust

RAMBLINGS

An Annual Publication of the Nantucket Preservation Trust Vol. VI â&#x20AC;˘ 2012

K at h l e e n H aY D e s i G n s

C l e a n lY I n s P i r e D I n t e r i o r s aWa r D - W i n n i n G i n t e r i o r D e s i G n f i r M 508.228.1219

www.kathleenhaydesigns.com

Photo by Jeffrey Allen

REFLECTIVE

susan zises green, inc.

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Antiques Interior Design Decoration A HOME FOR ANY LOCATION

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New York 212 710 5388

Welcome In 1997, a group of concerned Nantucketers formed the Nantucket Preservation Trust to serve as an advocate for the preservation of the island’s historic architecture. Fifteen years later, NPT continues its work by educating the public about the many benefits of historic preservation, and encouraging and serving as a resource for proper preservation activity across the island. Among our major tools for spreading preservation philosophy has been the annual publication of Ramblings, now in its sixth year, provided at no cost to our members, property owners, and island visitors. In this issue, you will find information on Nantucket’s historic architecture, preservation resource materials, and highlights of preservation work others have accomplished. Ramblings also provides details about the NPT’s core programs and summer events, which we hope will entice you to attend. Looking back over the past fifteen years and to the future, we realize our mission to ensure the protection of Nantucket’s historic architecture is as important as ever. We hope you do, too, and that we can count on your support so NPT can build on our programs and successes. And, we also hope you will help us to spread the word about the need to protect this very special place.

Michael May Executive Director Nantucket Preservation Trust 55 Main Street • P.O. Box 158 508-228-1387 • www.nantucketpreservation.org

This booklet was printed with soy-based ink. The paper stock is 10% post consumer recycled content; it was grown and manufactured in the U.S.A.,and is “sustainable forest certiﬁed.”

lyman perr y h u t k e r

a r c h i t e c t s

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 Dabney Bowen Christopher Dallmus Caroline Ellis Mary Helen Fabacher Mark Hubbard Michael Kovner Ethan McMorrow Maureen Phillips Marcia Richards Lydia Sussek Suellen Ward

Staff

Michael May Executive Director

Ema Hudson Events and Membership Coordinator Anna Audycki Brittany Dexter Summer Interns Henry Ian Pass, Esq. Counsel

Photography Jeffrey Allen Kathleen Hay Michael May Kristin Weber

Guest Contributors

Christine Harding

Graphic Design

Kathleen Hay Designs

Copy Editor

Elizabeth Oldham

Ramblings •

Vol VI • 2012

Table of Contents

Let Us Show You What’s Possible

Annual Summer Kitchens House Tour Preservation Is Green: Historic Pine Street Neighborhood

Ten Tips to MakeYour Kitchen Green

The Emergence of Classic Architecture

Preservation Awards Honoring Our 2012 Recipients

Celebrating Fifteen Years

Profiles in Preservation: Susan Boardman 38 NPT Annual Meeting

August Fête: The Main Event Main Street, ’Sconset

Preservation Tools 44 The Beauty of Plaster WhenWas Your House Built? Mark Your Old House Building History Program: If a House Could Talk Preservation Restrictions Architectural Tours NPT’s Architectural Preservation Fund NPT Membership Information

End Note: Value Your Antique House

Ramblings echoes the spirit of a guide first published in 1947 titled Rambling through the Streets and Lanes of Nantucket, by Edouard A. Stackpole. Cover photo: 5 Quince Street by Kathleen Hay Historic images courtesy of the Nantucket Historical Association Copyright © 2012 Nantucket Preservation Trust

Please join us to Celebrate

the Fifteenth Anniversary of the nantucket preservation trust and to Honor the Recipients of the 2012 Preservation Awards

Thursday, June 28 6:00 P.M. Westmoor Club Contact the NPT Office at 508-228-1387 for details and reservations. Space is limited

Let us show you What’s possible The Nantucket Preservation Trust NPT is a membership nonproﬁt organization dedicated to the protection of Nantucket’s sense of place.

our belief Nantucket’s historic architecture is a unique and valuable asset that makes the island special. our goal To preserve Nantucket’s architectural heritage for present and future generations to enjoy. our hope That you will join us in working to preserve our past.

Photo by Jeffrey Allen

our programs

Annual Speakers Program • Apprenticeships • Architectural Studies Architectural Lectures • August Fête • Brief, Concise, and Comprehensive House Histories Historic District Commission Testimonies • Historic Research House Markers • House Resource Assistance • Interior Surveys Interviewing Your Old House • Kitchen Marketplace • Landmark History Books Main Street Architectural Walking Tour • Neighborhood Book Series Preservation Awards • Preservation Easements • Preservation Month Programs Private Walking Tours • Ramblings • ’Sconset Architecture and History Tour Summer Kitchens House Tour • Traditional Building Methods Demonstrations

Summer kitchens house tour: Preservation Is Green Featuring the Historic Pine Street Neighborhood 1860 view with 27 Pine at right

NPT’S ANNUAL SUMMER KITCHENS HOUSE TOUR Preservation Is Green Historic Pine Street Neighborhood Thursday, July 19, 2012 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Tickets are $45 and may be purchased in advance or on the day of the tour. For information, contact the NPT office at 508-228-1387 or visit us at www.nantucketpreservation.org Made possible by our lead corporate sponsor ReMain Nantucket and Marine Home Center. We would also like to thank New England Home Magazine. The Pine Street neighborhood is the site of the NPT’s Eighth Annual Summer Kitchens House Tour. This year we are providing the o pportunity to view a wide array of kitchens—from a retro 1950s kitchen to one that is very twenty-first century. The tour is meant to help you gather ideas for your next kitchen project, large or small, and to highlight how preservation and being green can be incorporated into kitchen design and everyday life in a historic house. The tour provides participants an opportunity to view kitchens as well as some other sections of the houses and gardens. Tour goers can view the properties at their own pace, and along the way will be offered treats prepared by local chefs and can shop at the Kitchen Marketplace for unique gifts and kitchen items.

PINE STREET

Pine Street, once called Hayscale Lane due to the presence of a weighing platform for farmers bringing their hay into town, was laid out in the mideighteenth century and roughly forms the western boundary of the Fish Lots subdivision of 1717. The Fish Lots, the area above the harbor where fishermen dried codfish on wooden racks, consists of twenty-seven lots—one for each of the twenty original landholders’ families, and one-half for each of the fourteen half-share tradesmen’s families. This early subdivision in the 11

new town extended from just south of Main Street, southerly to the v icinity of present-day Silver Street, east to Orange Street, then north along the Orange Street bluff, and west to Pine Street. D eveloped primarily by mariners, tradesmen, and craftsmen, this area is d istinguished by narrow lanes lined with closely built houses. Barns and other outbuildings were once common but have largely disappeared. The earliest houses on the street are for the most part found nearest Main Street and on the east side of Pine Street. A wide variety of architectural types is seen in the neighborhood—from the early lean-to, center-chimney house; the colonial gambrel; the Typical Nantucket House with a four-bay façade, to later Victorians and twentieth- century four-squares.

4 TRADERS LANE c. 1750 Local tradition has long credited Captain Peleg Bunker as the first owner/ builder of the house. By 1785, Captain Bunker had left Nantucket to command whaleships out of Dunkirk, France, and later relocated to England. His British ship was captured by the French, and Bunker spent the next five years in prison, dying soon after his release in 1809. Joseph Chase (1752–1833) came into possession of the house, and in 1809 Chase paid $114 to insure the dwelling, which he rented to Alfred Coffin. In 1835, his heirs sold the property to Lydia Bunker (1764–1853), widow of Hezekiah Bunker. Bunker heirs retained the house until the 1870s and the property was purchased by numerous owners in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In 1945, the house was acquired by Richard and Edna Williams of Upper Montclair, New Jersey, whose descendants hold the property today. Four Traders Lane remains one of the finest examples of the Typical Nantucket House on island. Of the remaining eight hundred pre-Civil War houses in town, there are 175 Typical Nantucket Houses—by far the largest number of any residential type. A preservation easement held by the NPT protects the exterior and first-floor interior rooms in the front section of the house. The side yard is also preserved as open space. 12

4 Traders Lane , 1880s

8 PINE STREET c. 1750 The Gardner House is one of only ten surviving gambrel-roofed structures from the eighteenth century on Nantucket. The early ownership of the house has been disputed by historians; however, all seem to agree that the house was built by a member of the Gardner family in the mid-eighteenth century. The Gardner family held the land, part of the 24th Fish Lot, from 1717 to 1795. The 24th Fish Lot had been granted to half-share proprietor George Gardner, and upon his death in 1750 his property was inherited by son Grafton (1707–89). Recent research suggests the house was built during Grafton’s ownership, perhaps for daughter Jemima, who married Paul Pinkham, tailor, sometime prior to 1761. In his 1778 will, Grafton bequeathed the property to Jemima “where her house now standeth,” and reaffirmed the gift by deed in 1785. Today, the Gardner House possesses integrity of design, materials, and workmanship from its original eighteenth-century construction and for its 1943 Colonial Revival, style restoration by architect Frederick P. Hill. The house exterior, garden, and interior elements including the kitchen are protected by a preservation easement held by the NPT. 13

8 Pine Street, 1890s

SUMMER STREET CHURCH Built at the height of whaling prosperity in 1840, the First Baptist Church of Nantucket, as it was originally known, was designed by Frederick Brown Coleman in the popular Greek Revival style. The original design may have called for the construction of a portico, but plans were obviously adapted and the building was constructed with colossal pilasters found at each end of the main façade. Records show that the timber framing was prefabricated in Cherryfield, Maine, arrived on October 17, 1840, and was r econstructed on site by builder John Chadwick. He must have worked quickly since the church was dedicated two months later, on December 17, 1840. Some exterior work, however, continued into 1841, with the construction of the tower and steeple that were damaged by a hurricane in 1962. The tower was rebuilt and a new steeple added in 2000. Other major additions over the years include the installation of the organ in 1912 and stained-glass windows in the early twentieth century. 14

Summer Street, circa 1870

10 DARLING STREET c. 1750 John Darling, for whom the street is named, lived in this house by the 1790s, however it was Jonathan and Judith Bunker who built the dwelling sometime after 1748 when they acquired the lot from Judith’s father. Jonathan Bunker was a cordwainer, or shoemaker. In 1771, it was purchased by Richard Mitchell Jr., a partner with Paul Gardner in the firm of Mitchell and Gardner, which sponsored most of Nantucket’s early-nineteenth-century China trade ventures. T hroughout Nantucket’s golden age, the house was the property of whaling captains including: Reuben Joy (1796–1821), Nathaniel S herman (1821–29), and Jonathan Swain (1829–41). 15

Today, the house is among the best preserved in town, retaining many of its original architectural features. As you enter, you feel yourself transported to another place and time—old Nantucket—the way it used to be.

24 PINE STREET c. 1928 This early-twentieth-century house, often described as an American Four-Square, was built by Herbert and Sarah Terry on land provided to them by Herbert’s mother, Mary. The land had long been associated with the eighteenth-century house at 6 Darling Street, where Mary and her family resided beginning in 1908. The new house built by Herbert and his wife provided the Terry family with much-needed room, since the young Terrys and their children lived at 6 Darling along with Herbert’s mother and six sisters. By 1930, Herbert and Sarah’s household also included five young children and Sarah’s mother, Flora MacDougal. Herbert, owned and operated along with his stepbrother John Moore, a meat market known as Moore and Terry, located at 29 Main Street. With Herbert’s death in 1937 at age thirty-nine, Sarah was unable to hold the property, selling it to the bank in December that same year. In 1943, the house was sold to Eunice Sjolund, who held it for the remainder of the twentieth century.

25-C PINE STREET This house fits into the historic streetscape, but was actually built in the late twentieth century. For much of the nineteenth century the land on which the house now sits held a livery stable and included a small storage shed. By the 1920s, the lot was vacant and held by John Moore as part of 25 Pine Street. Moore, along with his stepbrother Herbert Terry, who lived across the street, ran a meat market on Main Street for much of the first two decades of the twentieth century. Due to its massing and scale, like much of the housing stock on the west side of Pine Street this house is compatible with the historic architecture. Its design, however, fell under the historic district zoning guidelines that ensure sensitive new construction. 16

32 Pine Street

32 PINE STREET

In 1840, merchant Levi Starbuck sold a plot of land on the corner of Pine Street and “an unnamed street,” later known as Twin Street, to prolific housewright John B. Nicholson. It was a lot of only twenty-one square rods, but within two years would hold two houses, 32 and 34 Pine Street. By 1844, housepainter and glazier Nathan Walker (1805–75) and his wife, Emmeline (1818–94), owned the Greek Revival house at 32 Pine. They and their five sons must have made that part of Pine Street a lively spot, for the house became known as the Nathan Walker Homestead. For much of the late nineteenth century the house was owned by Ann Louise Ray, wife of Benjamin F. Ray, mariner, whose ship was captured by the Confederate navy. Ray was confined to a Confederate prison, where he died in 1865. Ann Louise remained at 32 Pine Street until her death in 1890.

43 PINE STREET

On October 31, 1808, house carpenter Abner Howard purchased twenty-two square rods of land on Pine Street for $250.00. Two years later he sold the property, with a dwelling house, to mariner David Swain 2nd (1784–1841). Swain became a master mariner and was captain of a number 17

SERVING NANTUCKET SINCE 1944

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43 Pine Street

of whaling vessels: Lydia, 1808–09 and 1810–12; John Jay, 1815–17; States, 1818–20; Constitution, 1821–23; and Lydia again on two more voyages, 1825–28 and 1830–33. His first wife, Phebe Ellis (1791–1831), spent most of her married life managing the household and four young children while David was at sea; she died while he was away on his last whaling voyage. In 1834, shortly after his marriage to second wife Eliza Bunker (1799–1868), Swain sold the house at 43 Pine to another master mariner, Seth Coffin Jr. The Coffin family owned the house until 1886, when daughter Charlotte M. Brock sold it to Obed Mendell. Joseph J. Araujo, a fisherman, purchased the house in 1910. He had immigrated to the United States from the Azores in 1900 at the age of forty, and four years later his wife, Beatrice, and four daughters joined him. The current owners purchased the house in 2011 and have just recently completed their restoration. npt 19

JOIN US FOR A SPECIAL PRESENTATION BY FOOD HISTORIAN AND AUTHOR SANDRA OLIVER Thursday, July 19, 2012 • 2. P.M. Summer Street Church Free to Kitchen Tour participants Sandy Oliver began working on the history of food in 1971 when she founded the program in fireplace cooking at Mystic Seaport Museum. After moving to Maine in 1988, Sandy wrote Saltwater Foodways: New Englanders and Their Foods at Sea and Ashore in the 19th Century, p ublished in 1995. She frequently gives talk to historical societies and culinary groups. Her workshop on recipe research, “Every Dish Has a Past,” historical food- preservation workshops, and fireplace-cooking classes are popular with both history buffs and cooks. In addition to her work on food history, Sandy writes the column “Tastebuds,” appearing each weekend in the Bangor Daily News, and regular columns in Maine Boats, Homes, and Harbors magazine and The Working Waterfront. She is also the author of The Food of Colonial and Federal America, published in the fall of 2005, and Giving Thanks:Thanksgiving History and Recipes from Pilgrims to Pumpkin Pie, which she coauthored with Kathleen Curtin. Most recently, the recipes from Saltwater Foodways have been compiled in a paperback book, The Saltwater Foodways Companion Cookbook. In September, Downeast Publishing will publish her newest book, Maine Home Cooking. Sandy lives in a nineteenth-century island farmhouse in Maine; raises vegetables, chickens, and pigs; and does everything the hard way.

Summer KitchenS House Tour Historic Pine Street Neighborhood presented by

Nantucket preservation trust â&#x20AC;˘ Featuring Local Guest Chefs â&#x20AC;˘

Thursday, July 19, 2012 10am - 4 pm Tickets $ 45 For tickets and information, contact the NPT office at 508-228-1387 or visit our Web site:

www.nantucketpreservation.org

Ten Tips to Make Your Kitchen Green Preservation goes hand-in-hand with conservation and sustainable practices.

ou can green your kitchen in many ways. In addition to recycling and using less water, a host of environmentally friendly products exists, and, for the more ambitious, energy-efficient appliances and green building materials will help you achieve the ultimate green kitchen. Whatever your budget, you can join the movement to help our environment. Here are our top ten tips: • Whenever possible, use paper towels that are produced with recycled or sustainably grown paper—or, better yet, limit their use by cleaning up spills with an old cloth or a cellulose sponge. Towels for detailing cars are also ideal and can be cleaned and reused. Cellulose sponges are biodegradable and can be cleaned by running them through your dishwasher. • Take reusable tote bags to the supermarket and bring along your clean and reusable plastic bags for fruits and vegetables. • Stop using old-style oven cleaners and counter-top cleaners. Replace them with the green, nontoxic cleaners now widely available. Consider making your own cleaning liquids. For example, vinegar mixed 50/50 with water is an ideal multipurpose cleaner. In fact, vinegar kills more germs than bleach, but don’t use it on natural stone because it can mar the surface. 22

• Unplug appliances when not in use. Studies show that by unplugging them you can cut over five percent of your energy bill. Small appliances, including the microwave and your kitchen television, are among the major energy hogs. • Believe it or not, your energy-efficient dishwasher uses less water than washing dishes by hand. When replacing them, purchase highefficiency EnergyStar appliances. • Recycle your plastic cooking utensils and replace those that are petroleum based. Purchase stainless steel and eco-friendly wooden or bamboo utensils. • Consider adding a compost bin to your kitchen. Those coffee grounds and vegetable scraps make excellent compost for your garden. • Buy good-quality stainless steel, copper, or cast-iron cookware. They are excellent heat conductors and will last much longer than Teflon and other products made of chemical-based materials. • Save energy and money in the kitchen by using your stove and cookware more efficiently. Match pots and pans to the correct burner size and use lids to save heat. Don’t overly preheat your oven or open the door unnecessarily. When baking, use high-heat-retention products such as ceramic, glass, or cast iron. If replacing a stove, consider purchasing a self-cleaning oven; they are well insulated, making for a more energy-efficient appliance. • Use the right tools for the job. A microwave is probably better for reheating leftovers than your cooktop or stove, as microwaves use less energy. Use your vent hood to reduce indoor air pollution and moisture, but don’t overuse the vent; turn it off when not in use to limit loss of heat or cool air. npt 23

Photo: Photo: Lisa Lisa Frey Frey

www.remainnantucket.org www.remainnantucket.org

DISCOVER DISCOVER WHAT WHAT

WE’RE WE’RE DOING DOING

at REMAIN

“Downtown “Downtownisisour ourisland’s island’scultural culturalhub. hub.I Ilove lovebeing beingpart partof ofrenovating renovating56 56Centre Centre Street Streetfor forits itsnew newlife lifeas asaamusic musicschool schooland andadult adulteducation educationcenter. center.The Thepeople people who whoattend attendtheir theirclasses classesnext nextyear yearare arelikely likelyto tostay stayinintown townlonger longerto toeat eatand and shop, shop, year-round, year-round, strengthening strengthening the the social social fabric fabric of of our our community. community. InIn renovating renovating the the building building to to LEED LEED standards, standards, we we recognize recognize that that the the greenest greenest projects projectsrespect respectthe theenergy energyembodied embodiedininthe thebuilding’s building’shistoric historicfabric.” fabric.”

— —Melissa MelissaPhilbrick Philbrick

Executive ExecutiveDirector, Director,ReMain ReMainNantucket Nantucket Current CurrentProject: Project:Overseeing Overseeingthe therenovation renovationofof56 56Centre Centre Street, Street,the thenew newhome homefor forNantucket NantucketCommunity CommunityMusic Music ideas ideas••investments investments••initiatives initiatives Center Centerand andNantucket NantucketCommunity CommunitySchool School

Preserving while

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Historic Architecture of

56 Centre

ReMain Nantucket is pleased to support the activities of Nantucket Preservation Trust. Past collaborations have focused on the ways that historic preservation is consistent with economic, environmental and social responsibility. Co-sponsored guest speakers have included Doug Loescher from The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Main Street Center, and Donovan Rypkema from Place Economics who shared their formulas for sustainable downtowns with the community. ReMain’s latest project at 56 Centre Street is, like the Mitchell’s Book Corner building at 54 Main Street, another environmentally sensitive historic renovation. By preserving and re-using as much of the building’s historic fabric as possible, by improving the eﬃciency of the building’s energy and water systems, and by sourcing environmentally friendly products, ReMain will again demonstrate that environmental thoughtful renovation and historic preservation can work hand in hand. 56 Centre Street

As we sponsor NPT’s 2012 Kitchen Tour, we know those who participate will walk the streets of Nantucket’s downtown with a deeper appreciation of this unique built environment as well as for the community that continues, after more than 300 years, to live and gather in our downtown.

Wendy Schmidt

President, ReMain Nantucket

Melissa Philbrick

Executive Director, ReMain Nantucket

The Emergence of Classical Architecture: Georgian and Federal Styles 26

s early as the 1750s, a new architectural vocabulary began to infiltrate the island. The traditional central-chimney structure with a lean-to north elevation slowly evolved into a full two-and-a-half story house with a three- or five-bay front elevation. These vernacular buildings constructed prior to the Revolution are classified as Georgian and, after the formation of the United States, as Federal. Like their mainland counterparts, island builders were guided in the construction of classical elements by pattern books or builder’s guides, which had evolved in England after discovery of Roman ruins and the publishing of books on Roman architecture. The introduction of classical features on Nantucket largely coincided with the rise of the whaling industry and became more prevalent as development of the island soared. Early examples were limited to the homes of the new whaling magnates, and elements of the style were more fully embraced for use in the construction of public buildings. For example, the Pacific National Bank, built in 1818, features symmetrical elevations and employs classical doorways with fanlights and large multipaned windows found within the recessed brick arches. Likewise, the adjoining Masonic Hall, circa 1802, contains some of the most sophisticated Federal details on island, including Ionic pilasters, arched windows with keystones, and a highly decorative cornice. Among the most influential contributions of the Georgian/Federal style to residential architecture was the change in floor plans, which also affected exterior appearance, and led to symmetrically placed window arrangements and dual chimneys found closer to the ends of the house along the roof’s ridge. In later Federal structures, chimneys migrated to the end walls and were often tied together at the gable ends by parapet walls. The first residential buildings incorporating Georgian/Federal features were frame, frequently with clapboard fronts. Not until the 1830s was the use of brick more common—although limited to the dwellings of the very wealthy. Nantucket houses were sometimes upgraded to conform to the new style. For instance, 99 Main Street was built in 1799 and remodeled about 1832 with the additions of a heavy modillion cornice (protruding blocks near the roof line), roof balustrade, a central tripartite second-floor window, and an elaborate elliptical blind fanlight above the door. 27

99 Main Street was built in 1799 and remodeled about 1832 with the additions of a heavy modillion cornice (protruding blocks near the roof line), roof balustrade, a central tripartite secondfloor window, and an elaborate elliptical blind fanlight above the door. 28

By the late eighteenth century, interiors incorporated front-to-back hallways with staircases that gave access to all rooms and allowed for maximizing air flow. Rooms with specific functions, such as dining rooms, were often included in the plan. New technology in heating also allowed for chimney mass to be reduced, freeing up interior space. Other industrialization efforts provided for easier manufacture of glass— making larger windows a reality and larger, six-paned double-hung windows the norm for Federal architecture. Higher ceilings and more graceful mantels—often with tiered elements, pilasters, and reeded decoration—could be found in the main rooms. Staircases also had decorative elements such as applied running-dog molding, often copied from a builder’s guide, and window and door surrounds with finely molded reliefs. Classical elements became more sophisticated and more popular in the early nineteenth century. Fanlights above the doorways and cornices were more widely seen and refined by the 1830s. At 69 Main Street, we see an example of a finely executed late Federal fanlight—now constructed mostly of glass with only fine tracery elements tying the panes together. This doorway is also decorated with punch and gouge work (decorative cutout work) common in late Federal architecture. Although classicism had infiltrated the island, the Typical Nantucket House (see Ramblings 2010, p. 14) remained the dominant house type for most Nantucketers into the 1820s. But this house type also changed with the times and could be found with Federal features. The houses at 58, 59, and 61 Fair Street, for example, have classically inspired doorways with features such as dentil moldings and fanlight details typical of the style. Just as more sophisticated elements of Federal architecture became more widely accepted, a new, classical style based on Greek architecture emerged to supplant it. This new style, known as Greek Revival, was fully embraced by the 1840s, perhaps because it also served as a symbol of democracy and was seen as the most appropriate style for American building. The Greek Revival style would become symbolic of the rise and subsequent decline of the whaling industry. npt 29

Nantucket Preservation Trust Preservation awards

Maria Mitchell Birthplace

he founders of the Nantucket Preservation Trust realized the importance of creating awards to recognize individuals for their work in historic preservation. At its first annual meeting in 1998, NPT established the Award of Excellence, and as its first recipient h onored Walter Beinecke Jr. for his extraordinary vision and efforts to promote Nantucket’s historic architecture. The following year, Helen Seager, who spearheaded the restoration of one of the island’s landmarks—the African Meeting House—was the award recipient. In ensuing years NPT worked with a partnership of preservation-minded organizations under the umbrella of the Preservation Alliance to honor the island’s preservation work, and in 2008 revived its own awards to carry on this important program. Today, the NPT’s Preservation Awards continue to recognize individuals and organizations that advance the cause of historic preservation on island. NPT’s Preservation Awards program is designed to show that a building or landscape can be sensitively updated while maintaining and preserving its historic integrity, and awards emphasize proper preservation, showcase the island’s craftspeople, and reveal the foresight of owners who care about our historic structures and landscape. Awards are provided for the preservation of historic buildings and l andscapes, and for the protection and stewardship of the island’s historic resources and fall into four general categories. Architectural Preservation: The Architectural Preservation Award recognizes the owner(s) of a historic structure, and when appropriate one or more building professionals who assisted in the completion of the preservation project. In order to qualify for the award, preservation of those portions or features that convey the property’s historical, cultural, or architectural values is required. Landscape: The Caroline A. Ellis Landscape Award recognizes the owner(s) of a historic landscape, and, when appropriate, individuals associated with the property, such as landscape professionals. The award recognizes the careful steward ship or preservation of a Nantucket landscape associated with a historic 31

structure or area, or the completion of a new design that enhances the historic fabric of the community. Stewardship: The John A. and Katherine Lodge Stewardship Award recognizes an individual, organization, or owner(s) of a historic property who demonstrate a high degree of commitment to the preservation of the structure(s) and the island. An individual or organization maintaining a historic property or playing an important part in the preservation of Nantucket also can be nominated for this award. Traditional Building Methods: The Traditional Building Methods Award recognizes craftspeople who promote traditional building methods or who have made a major contribution to the field of historic preservation on island. Recipients must demonstrate a commitment to one or more of the traditional building methods—such as plastering, carpentry, masonry using lime-mortar, or decorative painting.

Resetting plaster at 18 India Street, photo by Brian Pfeiffer

Nantucket Preservation Trust 2012 Preservation Award Recipients

p res ervatio n award s 2012

Maria Mitchell Association Maria Mitchell Birthplace Preservation Award Nantucket Historical Association Image Archive Stewardship Award Curtis Livingston 18 India Street Traditional Building Methods Award The Mathey Family Hedged About, â&#x20AC;&#x2122;Sconset Landscape Award Brian Pfeiffer Excellence in Preservation Award

Our 15th Year Celebrating Nantucketâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Historic Architecture

THE ARCHITECTURAL PRESERVATION AWARD The Maria Mitchell Association is the recipient of the NPT’s 2012 Architectural Preservation Award for its best-practice maintenance of the Maria Mitchell Birthplace at 1 Vestal Street. The house, built in 1790, is the finest example—the purest form—of a Typical N antucket House. Today, the building retains original decorative paint, plaster walls and floors, and a host of other architectural details. One of the most laudatory aspects of the preservation effort is that scientific research is the basis for maintenance of the building with a “light touch” in the MMA’s p reservation approach. A host of fine craftspeople have worked at the house over the years including: Sanford Kendall of Old House Restoration; N antucket mason Pen Austin; Rich Sileo and Ernie Conrad of Landmark Facilities Group Inc; Shelly Sass of Sass Conservation Inc.; John Kraus of Magic Brush, Inc.; Frank Welsh of Welsh Color and Conservation; R ichard Irons of Richard Irons Restoration Masons; James Tyler of James Tyler Painting; and John Wathne of StructureNorth. The preservation p rojects have been overseen by the dedicated work of curator Jascin Leonardo Finger.

THE JOHN A. AND KATHERINE S. LODGE STEWARDSHIP AWARD The NPT is proud to announce that this year’s Stewardship Award will be presented to the Nantucket Historical Association for its Image Archive. This often overlooked but essential research tool has played a v ital role in the restoration of Nantucket’s historic architecture and in unlocking building histories. Over the years it has aided property owners, preservationists, architects, builders, and historians by providing critical evidence of the historic appearance of Nantucket’s architectural resources. In addition, it remains an essential part of Historic District Commission a pplications and reviews. The nineteenth-and twentieth-century photographs include i mages of individuals, streetscapes, and buildings. The NHA’s photo specialist Marie “Ralph” Henke has scanned thousands of images that are available to the public online, making it one of the most extensive historic photographic collections in the country. Creation of this community archive has been supported by a grant from the Community Preservation Fund proposed by Georgen Gilliam Charnes, Librarian and Archivist. 34

TRADITIONAL BUILDING METHODS AWARD Curtis Livingston, property owner, is the recipient of the 2012 Traditional Building Methods Award for his foresight in gathering a team of preservation experts to make critical repairs at 18 India Street. The structure, known as the Silas Paddock House, was built circa 1769, and is one of only eight extant gambrel roofed structures on island. The historic section’s interior work included repair of plaster walls, floors, timber framing, and the rescue of the central chimney mass, which had undergone structural damage. In the aftermath of a partial chimney collapse, a decision was made to undertake a careful, conservation and repair of the building’s historic fabric using traditional materials and craft techniques. The goal was not to restore the house to a particular period or even to the conditions that existed previously, but rather to repair old elements and introduce new elements only as necessary. The preservation team included: Brian P feiffer, project manager; Michael Burrey, Gerald David, and Preston Woodburn, timber frame carpenters; Pen Austin and Sean Mearns, traditional lime plasterers; Adam Zaneilli, painting and floor repairer; Jay Consolati, painter; Robert Mussey Associates, faux wood-grain conservator; and John and Jeffrey McKinnon, woodwork conservators. The preservation team coordinated the project with Ross G oodwin general contractor, and Brian McQuire, architect. THE CAROLINE A. ELLIS LANDSCAPE AWARD Charlotte and MacDonald Mathey are the recipients of the 2012 Landscape Award for their garden at Hedged About on Sankaty Road, ’Sconset. Earlier this year, the Matheys granted a conservation restriction to the Nantucket Land Council to protect their extensive gardens around their house. The structure, built in 1909 and moved to the site in 1919, is surrounded by high hedges and under the Mathey ownership now includes extensive gardens that serve as outdoor rooms or extensions of the dwelling and a cottage. The sensitive design highlights the house often associated with the Beinecke family, who purchased it in 1934 and held it until 1976, when it was p urchased by the Matheys. Placing a voluntary conservation restriction on the property has saved this historic house, its gardens and historic context from development potential. The garden, a ’Sconset landmark, is considered one of the finest on island. 35

EXCELLENCE IN PRESERVATION AWARD On the occasion of its fifteenth anniversary, it is with great pleasure that the NPT presents a special award to architectural historian Brian Pfeiffer. Mr. P feiffer has set a high standard for architectural preservation with his oversight and management of important preservation projects on island, including the preservation work at the Unitarian Meeting House and the Siasconset Union Chapel. He serves as the preservation consultant for various groups including, the ’Sconset Trust and the Nantucket Preservation Trust, where he acted as interim manager in 2005–2006. H is contribution to Nantucket preservation has been tremendous and his preservation knowledge will continue to a guiding force for the island’s historic preservation efforts. The Excellence in Preservation Award has been presented only twice before by the NPT: to Walter Beinecke, Jr. in 1998 for his vast preservation contribution on island; and in 1999 to Helen Seager for her leadership in the restoration of the African Meeting House. npt Past Recipients Architectural Preservation Award Unitarian Meeting House (2011) Lucy Dillon, homeowner, Steve Lindsay, contractor, 37 Liberty Street (2010) ReMain Nantucket, Mitchell’s Book Corner (2009) Valerie and Richard Norton, numerous projects (2008) Bernie and Carol Coffin, ’Sconset Post Office (2007) Ginger Ivey, 8 Cottage Avenue, ’Sconset (2007) The Caroline A. Ellis Landscape Award Dr. and Mrs. John Espy, 4 New Dollar Lane (2011) Marilyn Whitney, Moors End, 19 Pleasant Street (2010) Caroline Ellis, Sankaty Head Lighthouse, ’Sconset Trust (2009) The John A. and Katherine S. Lodge Stewardship Award The Fremont-Smith family, Atlantic House, ’Sconset (2011) Margaret Yates Berkheimer, posthumously, 8 Pine Street (2010) Sanford Kendall, numerous projects (2009) Clarissa Porter, 5 Quince Street (2008) Katherine S. Lodge, 94 Main Street (2008) Traditional Building Methods Award Michael Burrey, timber framer (2011) Pen Austin, plaster and lime mortar expert (2010) 36

nantucket preservation trust Celebrating FifteenYears The NPT was formed in October 1997 by a group of dedicated Nantucketers. Over the past fifteen years the board of directors of the NPT has grown to a special group of fifty past and present members. This diverse group became involved in a common cause—sharing a passion for Nantucket and its historic architecture. We are especially grateful to the founding members and past directors for their service and contribution to the NPT mission. Founding Directors Max Berry, President Graham Gund, Vice President Sandra Holland, Treasurer †Bruce Killen, Secretary †Heidi Berry Alfred Sanford III Jan Schnitzer Bancel LaFarge Caroline Ellis Other Former and Current Directors Kathy Arvay Mark Avery Samuel Bailey Mary-Randolph Ballinger Ken Beaugrand Susan Boardman Dabney Bowen David Brown Elin Cunningham Christopher Dallmus Mary Helen Fabacher Nancy Forster Susan Zises Green Cary Hazlegrove

Patricia Hohl Bridget Hubbard Mark Hubbard Sanford Kendall Carol Kinsley Michael Kovner Kevin Kuester Joyce Lawrence Francis Leto Ethan McMorrow Rich Merriman Chris Mortenson Kent Murphy Ann Nussbaum 37

Lyman Perry Maureen Phillips Clarissa Porter Georgia Raysman Marcia Richards Thomas Richards Esta Lee Stone Harris Stone John Sussek Lydia Sussek Pam Waller Suellen Ward Brace Young

Profiles in Preservation: Susan Boardman A special auction of this embroidered narrative of the ÂSiasconset Chapel will take place at the NPT Annual August FĂŞte on August 9, 2012. 38

n embroidery class given by Erica Wilson in 1974 first brought Susan Boardman to Nantucket. However, it was its architecture that brought her back. Returning to the island in the mid-eighties for summer vacations, and then in 1989 when she and her husband Bill purchased their Ash Street home, she felt, “This was the place where I was supposed to be. It r epresented a way of life I was seeking—a simpler way to live, with beautiful, simple architecture.” Her dedication to preserving that architecture has proven strong. As a board member for NPT for six years, Susan took charge of the house-markers program. Later, she, with historian Betsy Tyler and graphic designer Kathleen Hay, developed the house-histories book program that documents deed research and provides histories of individual houses. After Susan and Kathleen took a course in bookbinding, they began hand-binding the books, using handwoven linen from Nantucket Looms and leather. “We knew nothing, but we had so much enthusiasm, we were going to make this work.” Susan’s further generosity to NPT has included the execution and donation of four embroidered narratives: the Starbuck/Kilvert House (2003), the Charles Hussey House (2004), the George C. Gardner House (2005), and now the Siasconset Union Chapel (2012). npt 39

NPT Annual Meeting Please Join Us Friday, July 27, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. First Congregational Church 62 Centre Street Including a special tour of the Tower Public Invited

he First Congregational Church property stands on what was once known as Beacon Hill. The Old North Vestry, which dates to the 1711â&#x20AC;&#x201C;1732 period, was the first building on site. It was moved to Beacon Hill from the old settlement at Sherburne in the 1760s, and moved to the rear of the property to accommodate construction of the main church in 1834. Known as the Summer Church, the main section was constructed from a design by Samuel Waldron, a Boston housewright. The Summer Church, protected by a preservation restriction held by the NPT, has been a local landmark since 1834 due to its dramatic hilltop location and its large tower visible from a great distance. In the 1840s, at the height of the islandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s whaling prosperity, the Summer Church was expanded, making it the largest meeting house on island. npt

The Main Event

August 9, 2012 Main Street â&#x20AC;˘ Siasconset

NPT’s Annual August Fête In association with the ’Sconset Trust

The Main Event August 9, 2012 Six o’clock in the evening

A tour of historic buildings in the Main Street, ’Sconset, neighborhood followed by a reception with music by Earth Got the Blues. General Admission $150 • Next Generation (under 40): $100 For tickets and information, please call the NPT office at 508-2281387, or visit our Web site at www.nantucketpreservation.org

The Nantucket Preservation Trust is most grateful to Brown Brothers Harriman, the sole corporate underwriter for the August Fête. The NPT’s August Fête is one of the summer’s most memorable evenings, because it is more than a party—it is a celebration of Nantucket’s historic architecture. This year, participants will tour a wonderful historic collection of summer homes in the village of ’Sconset and learn some preservation pointers along the way. There will also be a special tour of the restoration work at the Siasconset Chapel and Atlantic House, the latter honored in 2011 with the NPT Stewardship Award. A special auction item will include an embroidered narrative of the Siasconset Chapel by local artist Susan Boardman (see image on pg 38). Be sure to join us in this celebration by reserving your space today! 43

npt

Preservation tools Let Us Show You Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Possible

The Beauty of Plaster On Nantucket there is a good chance your old house retains its original plaster. If so, think twice before replacing it, even if it looks as if it is in bad condition, because it offers many benefits over new wallboard. Plaster is one of those materials that over time can crack and chip and look terrible, but it usually looks worse than it really is and can be easily repaired. In most cases it is well worth saving old plaster—after all, it has lasted for a hundred, a hundred and fifty, or even two hundred years, a testament to its resilience. In fact, plaster has been in use since ancient times. It is perhaps the best and most durable of building materials ever made. No wonder plaster has experienced renewed popularity as contractors and home owners learn more about plaster’s benefits as well as the pitfalls of many modern materials. Keeping plaster makes sense for many reasons. First and foremost, plaster is an essential part of a building’s historic fabric. It helps tell the story of the house, provides evidence of changes over the years, and evokes the work of the original craftsmen. Among plaster’s many benefits are that it is extremely easy to work with, is unmatched in strength, is easy to clean, resists fire, can get wet without permanent damage, and helps to reduce sound. In addition, plaster can be easily adapted for use on curved walls—as seen in Nantucket’s Federal and Greek Revival staircases and the chancel of the Unitarian Meeting House. It can also be used for decorative features such as ceiling medallions and molded cornices. And plaster just looks better. With plaster, you know you’re in an old house rather than a generic building in Anywhere USA. Plaster installed on-island before the late nineteenth century is almost certainly lime plaster made from four ingredients: lime, aggregate, fiber, and water. The lime came from ground and heated limestone or oyster shells; the aggregate from sand; and the fiber from horse, cattle, or even hog hair. Plaster from this era was typically applied over brick or used in frame construction, with lath (usually wood strips placed between studs and other timbers). The lath served as a support for the plaster and also held it in place by lapping over and between the wood strips. In most cases, the 45

process included the layering of one or two coats as the base to build up the plaster and a final finer coat. Still another reason for saving plaster is to retain the historic appearance of window, door, and other wood trim. In the eighteenth and early n ineteenth centuries, wood trim was generally installed before the plaster was applied to the wall. Hence, replacing plaster or covering it with wallboard can change molding profiles, creating an inappropriate appearance. Retaining old plaster is also the environmental choice. The preservation of plaster is in line with the ethics of green building and should be encouraged. Ripping out plaster is expensive, and is a waste of a perfectly good material. Preserving this important feature should be paramount for any owner of a historic resource. Tips: • Keep in mind that plaster is a relatively brittle material and that minor cracks and other blemishes are normal and to be expected in plastered surfaces. • A common trim detail in older Nantucket homes with plastered walls is a picture rail, installed to eliminate the need for placing nails directly into the plaster wall. The picture rail is designed for hanging pictures using hooks and wire. • The lath keys (the back portion of the lath which through the plaster protrudes) is essential to keep the structural stability of the plaster ceiling or wall. Special care must be taken when working in unfinished attic space to avoid damage to the lath and plaster that can be seen below the floor joists. • It is always a good idea to review electrical needs prior to restoring plaster walls. An electrician with experience in old houses should be able to install new electrical wiring with minimal damage to the wall surfaces. However, the possibility of some plaster damage is to be expected, and it is for this reason that such work is ideally done prior to work on the wall surfaces. npt 46

Pen Austin at 18 India Street, photo by Brian Pfeiffer

when was your house built? NPT’s Interviewing Your Old House Program Do you know when your house was built? NPT welcomes the opportunity to help you answer this question as well as solving other mysteries about your old house. That’s why we offer a free one-hour “house interview” in which we visit you in your house to determine a reasonable construction date and point out the evolution of the house from architectural evidence. The “interview,” which usually includes a review of timbers in the basement and attic, a survey of the old windows, woodwork, and floor plan, is provided by a team that includes an architectural historian and a preservation contractor and/or architect. The team can also answer specific questions about various features and can provide information about a building’s architectural style and history. The program is ideal for those who are planning a restoration or addition and seek independent preservation expertise, or home owners wanting to learn more about their old house. Please arrange for your complimentary house interview by calling the NPT office at 508-228-1387. 47

mark your old house Ten years ago the NPT began a house-marker program to help spread the word about the significance of Nantucket’s historic architecture. The h ouse-marker program educates the passerby about the significance of the house in the c ontext of Nantucket’s history and provides recognition of its architectural and historical significance. The idea of marking a historic house is not new; the round markers found on many old houses on island were installed as part of a designation program begun by the NHA in the mid-twentieth century. The NPT house-marker program includes an investigation of town records to determine the age and original owner; the marker notes the date of construction, who owned or lived in the house, or other information of historic interest. Since 2002, we have researched and marked over two hundred structures on island. It is our hope that through heightened community awareness the markers will also encourage the continuing care and preservation of individual buildings. We welcome the opportunity to mark your house. npt

npt’s building history program An important part of NPT’s work is to document the island’s architectural heritage and to share our research with the public. Since 2002, one way we have performed this educational role has been through publications focusing on the architecture, landmark buildings, neighborhoods, and historic houses. Today we offer a collection of books for the history buff.

Neighborhood Book Series In 2006, the Nantucket Preservation Trust completed its first neighborhood book. The project was an outgrowth of our successful house-history books on individual structures, and grew out of a need to establish a comprehensive approach to the island’s research and architectural record. Perhaps most important, the program was created to serve as a reminder that the stories of a house and the people who lived there must be told if we are to understand and preserve Nantucket’s historic resources. The project has had other unforeseen benefits, especially for historians, such as an opportunity to find out more details about specific houses and/or historical figures, to correct erroneous information found in past histories, and to reach new audiences both old and young.   : A Walk Down Main Street: The Houses and Their Histories   &  

The first book in this series focuses on thirty houses and provides an overview of the early history of the town and the various house types. Filled with historic photographs, maps, and other illustrations, the book serves as a walking tour guide of this memorable street.

A WALK DOWN MAIN STREET THE HOUSES AND THEIR HISTORIES

$10 softcover $75 hardcover by special order

A NANTUCKET PRESERVATION TRUST PUBLICATION

Main Street History.indd 1

6/7/2006 11:45:20 PM

Off Centre: The Wesco Acre Lots The Wesco Acre Lots division was created in 1678 by the island’s first town planners and became the site of early building activity for Nantucket Town. Off Centre focuses on the histories of over eighty houses from L iberty to Quince Streets and gives the reader a unique glimpse of life on Nantucket from the years before the whaling boom into the early twentieth century.

Mount Vernon

Columbus

Zone

Franklin

Maria

Enterprise

Off Centre:

The Wesco Acre Lots     

Clarkson

Barclay

Fabius

A NANTUCKET PRESERVATION TRUST PUBLICATION Statira

Aurora

Alexander Coffin

Mary Mitchell

Constitution

Montano

President

Reprinted in softcover, available Summer 2012 • $25.

Main Street, ’Sconset Although ’Sconset is well known for its early fishermen’s Main Street, ’Sconset The houses and Their HisTories cottages clustered on the bank that became desirable seasonal residences for whaling captains and tradesmen and their families, few realize that it was along Main Street, ’Sconset, that the wealthiest whale-oil merchants of Nantucket built summer houses in the 1830s, ’40s and ’50s. Almost all of those oil barons owned mansions on Main Street in the town of Nantucket as well. Main Street, ’Sconset unlocks the early history of those summer homes and follows their evolution into the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries when the village became the vacation spot for many people from across the country. A NANtucket PreservAtioN trust PublicAtioN

New, softcover, available Summer 2012 • $25. 50

Landmark Series The NPT’s Landmark Series documents the history of important island institutions and their architecturally significant buildings.

Unitarian Meeting House: A History Commemorating 200 Years The Meeting House, constructed in 1809, is one of the most visible landmarks on island. Located at 11 Orange Street, the structure has been a place where islanders and visitors come together to participate in the cultural, religious, and community life of the island. New edition available in 2013.

The Nantucket Atheneum: A History The Atheneum, constructed in 1846, immediately after the Great Fire, is an impressive Greek Revival building. The book documents the history of the institution from its founding in 1834 into the twenty-first century. Hardcover • $75

Individual House Histories Since 2002, NPT has also offered owners of historic properties an opportunity to learn more about their own historic houses through the House History Program. Our work can include a simple one-page narrative illustrated with historic photos to a complete NPT House History in a hardcover format. Each hardcover house history includes an investigation of source m aterials such as deeds, plot plans, wills, and newspaper accounts, as well as a visual record of the house complete with historic portraits, maps, and other illustrations. For more information, or to order your house history, contact the NPT o ffice at 508-228-1387 or visit us online at www.nantucketpreservation.org npt 51

House Histories NANTUCKET

A Special Program Offered by

Nantucket Preservation Trust Every historic Nantucket house has a story. Do you know yours? Unlock the history of your home with a Nantucket Preservation Trust House History. We offer three levels of house historiesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;our brief history, which provides basic deed research and a short summaryâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;or our concise and comprehensive hardcover books that are thoroughly researched, clearly written, and beautifully illustrated to provide a detailed picture of your house through time. For more information, visit our Web site: www.nantucketpreservation.org or contact us at 55 Main Street, P.O. Box 158, Nantucket, MA 02554 508-228-1387

IF A HOUSE COULD TALK... by Michael May What astonishes me about researching on island is the vast amount of information that is available to bring the history of a house alive. 足Besides the architectural clues, often there are portraits of past 足owners, historic photographs, maps, and an abundance of primary sources such as deeds and wills just waiting to be rediscovered.

Dexioma

ick a house, just about any older house on Nantucket. It will have an interesting story to tell, and maybe an amazing one. Take the house that I am fortunate enough to rent in the heart of Old ’Sconset—Dexioma. This one-story “fish shanty,” whose original section consists of a great room (although that’s a misnomer since the room measures only nine by sixteen feet) and small chambers extended as warts. It has a story that I recently discovered echoes Nantucket’s rich past. Although the exact date of the cottage is unknown, early histories suggest that it was owned in the eighteenth century by Stephen Hussey. The Hussey family, among the oldest and most prominent families on island, has long been linked with the whaling industry. A family m ember is said to have captured the first sperm whale in 1712, and Sylvanus Hussey, Stephen’s grandfather, amassed a sizable fortune as the owner of one of the earliest and most lucrative whaling firms on island. Stephen Hussey (1735–1805) was successful in his own right. Listed as a blacksmith, a shipsmith, and eventually as a whaling merchant, he also appears to have had a career as a public servant. Hussey was appointed the first Collector of Customs when the Nantucket Customs House was established in 1791. The certificate of his appointment, signed by President George Washington and Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, is now housed at the Nantucket Historical Association. Although no direct record linking Stephen Hussey to Dexioma has yet been found, later deeds prepared after Stephen Hussey’s death refer to his ’Sconset cottage and confirmed his ownership. An 1823 deed reveals that Abial Hussey, Stephen’s daughter, and Josiah Hussey, inherited much of his property and transferred it, including the ’Sconset property, to Sylvanus Ewer. An inspection of g enealogical r ecords shows that Ewer’s fourth wife, whom he had married the p revious year, was Eunice Hussey, Stephen’s youngest daughter. Hence, the ’Sconset cottage remained within the Hussey family even with this transfer. 54

The Ewer Years Sylvanus Ewer was a successful whaling merchant and manufacturer of oil and candles by the time he married Eunice Hussey in 1822. During the Ewer ownership physical evidence suggests that Dexioma was expanded to include the north end of the house and a rear addition with late Federal details such as a classically inspired mantel, built-in drawers, and a round root cellar. Upon Silvanus Ewer’s death in 1836, the property descended to his son, Peter F. Ewer. In turn, Peter provided a life estate for his “mother” Eunice (née Hussey)—after all it was really her family house. The life estate included “the house and furniture at Sciaconset (sic) with the stable, fences etc.” In the twentieth century, the stable found along Front Street would be referred to as the boat house, perhaps due its later use or that it employs ships’ masts in its framing. Later, the stable was converted into a kitchen attached to the main structure. Curiously, at about the same time Sylvanus Ewer purchased the ’Sconset cottage, Peter placed the milestones on the road from town to ’Sconset to help measure the speed of his horse (a record-breaking ride was recorded in the Inquirer of January 26, 1824).

Peter F. Ewer and Mary Cartwright Ewer 55

Within a few years, Peter was to become a successful businessman as his father’s agent purchasing and selling ships and cargoes. He operated out of Providence and later New York City. He first married Eunice Cartwright about 1819, and three years after her death her sister Mary Cartwright, in 1825. Peter and Mary traveled in Europe and South America for much of the 1830s, but returned to Nantucket and in 1842 Peter invented the “camels,” the flotation devices that lifted whaleships over the shoals that blocked the harbor entry. Peter’s and Mary’s portraits are among the many treasures found in the Whaling Museum. His portrait, with a diamond-shaped tattoo visible on his forehead, is perhaps indicative of his adventurous spirit. Upon the death of Eunice Hussey Ewer in 1847, just a year after the Great Fire, the property was inherited by Peter’s son, Ferdinand Ewer. Nantucket in the late 1840s had lost much of its lure, not only because of the Great Fire but also due to the declining whaling industry. Peter Ewer left the island in 1848 to start a venture in Chile, and upon graduating from Harvard, Ferdinand, too, decided to leave to seek his fortune in California. He sold the cottage in January 1848, and the following year sailed from Boston to San Francisco on a vessel leased by the Pacific Mining Company. Ferdinand did not strike it rich in gold, but became a reporter and arts critic in San Francisco, and eventually found his true calling as an Episcopal minister. He later moved to New York City where he was widely known as one of the country’s leading theologians, and also as an avid writer and scientist. He often returned to Nantucket to the family’s main residence on Union Street, and is probably best remembered on island as a mapmaker—preparing a geological study of Nantucket published in 1869, today known as the Ewer map.

The Wilbur Family Upon the sale out of the Ewer family, the cottage passed to three owners in only four years. Captain Benjamin F. Riddell co-owner of Sherburne Hall on Petticoat Row, on Centre Street, which he built soon after the Great Fire, purchased the cottage in 1849, and held the property until 1852. Unfortunately, Riddell returned to the sea and died of yellow fever in Jamaica only a few years later. The next owner, Charles Easton, sailmaker, who held the 56

cottage for only one season, sold it in 1853 to master mariner Sanford Wilbur whose family retained the property for the next 127 years. Wilbur appears to have retired as a whaling captain just as the industry collapsed. He and his wife, Mary, however, were able to witness the rise of ’Sconset as a seaside r esort. Unlike many of the new summer residents who by the last quarter of the century came from the mainland, the Wilbur family had a long Nantucket connection and owned winter houses in town on Main and Liberty Streets. They, too, made changes to the cottage to accommodate their family and may be responsible for naming the cottage Dexioma, since late-nineteenth-century photographs show the cottage with the signboard bearing the name on the Greek Revival style attic board added during their ownership. An I&M article from the turn of the century notes Wilbur’s renovations of the cottage as well as his finding Spanish coins with the dates 1800, 1801, and 1802 within the cottage’s diagonal cross bracing. During the Wilbur period, the front warts were added along the west elevation and included a new entry that still retains its dry sink from the day water was supplied from Pump Square. On Sanford Wilbur’s death, the cottage, passed to his wife, who deeded it to her son George. Among the most memorable historic photographs are those of Wilburs’s granddaughter, Mary Wilbur, and her husband, Millard F. Freeborn, the next owners of the cottage, on their bicycle built for two in about 1896. Dexioma remained in the Wilbur-Freeborn family, passing through various members including Dorothy Gardner until it was sold in 1980. 57

Mary Wilbur and her husband, Millard F. Freeborn

My research on this modest “fish shanty” has just scratched the surface, but even so it has unlocked a rich history associated with key events and people of the island’s past that help connect me with this special place. Discovering the history of a house, big or small, can come easy or take days or months to unfold, but the effort, no matter how long it takes, is always rewarding. npt

Opposite: Captain Benjamin F. Riddell

Preservation easements Nantucket Island has twenty-six historic sites that are protected by preservation easements. The NPT, which began its program in 1999, holds easements on seventeen properties of which eleven protect interior features.

Greater Light

preservation easement, called a preservation restriction in ÂMassachusetts, is a legal agreement made between an owner of a historic property and a qualified easement-holding organization. The easement protects the architectural integrity of the property by restricting future alterations and uses and continues beyond the current ownership to ensure its protection into the future. Preservation easements can be designed to protect both the exterior and interior of a historic property and are tailored to the specific building and the wishes of the grantor/property owner. NPTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easements are flexible to allow for alterations and updates to a property without compromising the buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s architectural integrity. 59

An owner of a Nantucket historic building is a steward of one of the island’s greatest resources, its architectural heritage. By creating a preservation easement, a property owner can protect a building’s historic features for future generations. Today, a preservation easement is the best tool available to ensure the long-term integrity of a building as well as its place in the community. In addition, an easement donation may be considered a tax-deductible charitable contribution for federal income tax purposes. For more information about preservation easements, contact the NPT office or visit us online at www.nantucketpreservation.org. npt

NPT EASEMENT PROPERTIES First Congregational Church 62 Centre Street

1800 House 4 Mill Street

Quaker Meeting House 7 Fair Street

Rescom Palmer House 9 New Mill Street

Fire Hose Cart House 8 Gardner Street (pending)

Grafton Gardner House 8 Pine Street

Greater Light 8 Howard Street

Nathaniel Hussey House 5 Quince Street

The Nantucket Atheneum 1 India Street

Captain Peleg Bunker House 4 Traders Lane

Jabez Bunker/Prince Gardner House 85 Main Street

Maria Mitchell Birthplace 1 Vestal Street

Captain Thaddeus Coffin House 89 Main Street

Admiral Sir Isaac Coffin Lancasterian School 4 Winter Street

Hadwen-Wright House 94 Main Street

Higginbotham House 27 York Street

Thomas Starbuck House 11 Milk Street 60

architectural Walking Tours NPT’s walking tours provide an opportunity to learn about the people who came before us, the island’s unique history, and its remarkable architectural heritage. Tours are $10 per person and are offered from mid-June through September (weather permitting). Contact the NPT ofﬁce at 508-228-1387 for details and reservations. Group tours may be arranged throughout the year by appointment.

A STROLL ALONG MAIN STREET The thirty houses between the Pacific National Bank and the Soldiers and Sailors Monument are a microcosm of the island’s architectural heritage, and also help to reveal the story of Nantucket’s whaling prosperity and decline. Tour goers receive a copy of the paperback book A Walk Down Main Street, which includes a history of each house and its early occupants. Most Thursdays at 9:30 a.m. (July–September)

’SCONSET TOUR No visit to Nantucket is complete without a tour of this former fishing village at the island’s east end. Learn about the history of this early settlement from its whaling and fishing days to its revival in the nineteenth century as a seaside resort and “actors colony.” The unique architectural styles are noted, from the early fishing shacks to early twentieth-century forms. Periodic Fridays at 4:00 p.m.

Please call 508-228-1387 for reservations.

The Three Bricks on Main Street 61

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 Palm Beach • Greenwich • Nantucket

nPT Preservation Fund Let Us Show You a’s Possie The goal of the NPT Architectural Preservation Fund is to encourage community-wide efforts to protect Nantucket’s historic architecture. The fund brings recognition to key projects, emphasizes the importance of proper preservation work, and encourages further community support.

Preservation Easement Assistance The fund provides seed money to offset the costs of securing preservation easements by homeowners and institutions. The fund is used to help pay for required documentation for the certification of historic structures and for the preparation of easement documents. In most cases, distributed funds are required to revolve back to the NPT Architectural Preservation Fund at the time of sale or transfer of the real estate under easement.

Scholarship Funds NPT’s Architectural Preservation Fund also supports scholarships and apprenticeships for the training of Nantucket’s preservation-related workforce. Traditional building methods are necessary to preserve historic structures, and knowledge of those increasingly rare techniques can keep tradespeople busy even in hard economic times. In 2013, scholarships will be available to students looking to enter the skilled-building-craft market; and for those in the building trades interested in perfecting old skills. The scholarships will be available for educational opportunities at the North Bennet Street School in Boston.

Speaker and Demonstration Program NPT hosts guest speakers and demonstration programs to inform island residents and visitors about the important role preservation plays on Nantucket. The fund makes it possible to bring national leaders in the preservation field to the island to provide this free public programming. npt 63

MARY JANE BAUER

STORE NO. 2

44 CENTRE STREET • NANTUCKET, MA 02554 PHONE: 508-228-4440 FAX: 508-228-4488

WHAT

YOU INVEST IN US, WE REINVEST IN YOU.

As a mutual savings bank our success is not handed to stockholders, but recycled throughout the local economy - something we’ve been doing for over 150 years. When you want a great place to bank, as well as one that’s solely committed to the Cape and Islands, then consider Cape Cod Five. In so many ways, we reinvest in opportunities for you and others in this special place.

COMMUNITY BANKING SINCE 1855 Member FDIC Member DIF

508-228-1255 • www.capecodfive.com 64

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:___________________________________ _________________________________________

_____________________________________

State, Zip________________________________________ Dates at Summer Address: __________________________ Tel: (

)____________________________________ Local Tel: (

)________________________________

Email:____________________________________________________________________________________________________

□ I want to learn about NPT volunteer opportunities.

1955 SOCIETY LEADERSHIP

Leadership-level members receive two tickets to the Summer Kitchens House Tour and invitations to special donor receptions.

_____$10,000

_____$5,000

_____$2,500

_____$1,955

OTHER MEMBERSHIP _____$1,000

_____$500

_____$250

_____$100

_____$50

_____ Enclosed is a check made payable to the NANTUCKET PRESERVATION TRUST. ______ Please charge my Visa/MC #____________________________________________________Exp________ in the amount of $_____________________Signature_____________________________________________ ______ I would like to give a gift of securities. Please contact me at _____________________________ ______ I have included NPT in my Estate Planning. ______ My employer will match this gift. Please enclose gift form.

Your contribution is tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

Nantucket Preservation Trust P.O. Box 158 • Nantucket, MA • 02554 508-228-1387 www.nantucketpreservation.org 65

End Note

Value Your Antique House

On Nantucket, all you have to do is look around and it becomes quite clear that historic preservation is a vital part of the island community and economy. Nantucket’s concentration of historic architecture has for the past 150 years set the island apart from communities on the mainland—drawing visitors from far and wide. Nantucketers embraced historic preservation early, and visionaries like Walter Beinecke Jr. knew that the tourism industry would boom as long as we protected these resources. Using historic preservation as a tool—tourism became the life blood of the local economy, and it remains so even today. Some of us may not realize that the historic charm of the island is also a key reason for having some of the highest real estate values in the nation. And a key reason for Nantucket retaining its charm is that we have regulations that protect our built environment. These regulations, first embraced by the community in the 1950s, have played a critical role in protecting resources and also ensuring quality work for our island designers, architects, and o thers with a connection to the building trades. It is shortsighted to think of our preservation regulations as obstacles. We need to recognize that our historic resources are of equal importance to those of our environment and should be equally protected, just as we protect our harbor, wetlands, and beaches. Over the past decade it has become clear that regulations alone will not protect our historic resources; we need to look beyond the Historic District C ommission’s regulations. Too many of the interior architectural elements of our historic houses are being thoughtlessly destroyed. Those elements give character and integrity to historic architecture and are critical for continuing our economic success as a whole as well as retaining the value of an individual house over time. Removing them also destroys a direct connection to our past. Unfortunately, Nantucket is slowly losing that tie—house by house.We need to work together—builders, homeowners, local government, downtown businesses, realtors, and preservationists—to make ethical decisions that protect these resources. 66

There is a critical link between historic features and the value of a specific piece of real estate—a fact that is all too often overlooked in the interest of short-term gain. Preserving a building’s important features inside and out (not just its shell) as well as its landscape and street context are needed to ensure its economic value. An analogy to how we should treat a historic building is found in how we now look at a fine antique. Not too long ago fine antiques were often stripped of their original patina—purportedly to make them fresh and clean—for short-term profit. Today, the long-term value of such a piece is drastically diminished from one with its original surface and signs of wear. Original surface on an antique is prized today and can mean extreme variables in price once we have been made aware of its importance—largely due to programs like “Antiques Road Show.” This is also the case with an antique house. NPT hopes to continue this education process and to point out that houses that retain their integrity inside and out will always be prized and valued. It is important, therefore, to handle an intact, historic house with care and to make decisions based on its longterm value and architectural integrity. This is not to say changes cannot be made. All houses evolve, but there is a right and a wrong way to handle an old house. Gutting a historic house on Nantucket is never the answer, and is a poor investment decision, besides being unethical because gutting steals history from future generations. Let the historic qualities of a house shine, use a “light touch,” and highlight the elements that make your house special. Ask questions and find contractors who understand the need to treat your old house in a proper manner. If you do, it will increase in value and you will help ensure the future of the architectural heritage of this special place for generations to come. NPT is here to assist you in this process. Let us show you what’s possible.

WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO THOSE MEMBERS AND FRIENDS WHO SUPPORTED THIS YEAR’S MEMBERSHIP APPEAL AND PROGRAMS AT LEADERSHIP LEVELS (as of June 11, 2012) Anonymous (2) Carrie and Leigh Abramson Elizabeth and Lee Ainslie Joseph and Kathy Arvay Sam and Janet Bailey Mrs. Walter F. Ballinger II David Barham and Lauri Robertson Mary Jane Bauer Ken and Gussie Beaugrand Susan and Bill Boardman Erin and Philip Boeckman Mrs. Robert H. Bolling, Jr. Dabney and Michael Bowen Brennan, Frank, and Tausig Families Lucy E. Broadus Nancy and Art† Broll Mimi and Tom Brome Mary and David Brown Bill and Laura Buck Martha Carr Laurie and Bob Champion Rick and Dee Dee Chesley Pamela Clark Bernie and Carol Coffin Drs. Helen and Stephen Colen Paul and Susanne Curtis Nicky and Vincent D’Agostino Christopher L. Dallmus, Design Associates Doug and Caroline Ellis Mr. and Mrs. Michael Elzay and Family Michael and Ana Ericksen Mr. and Mrs. Michael A. Fabacher Barbara J. Fife Anne Foley Nancy and Al Forster Gregory and Annabelle Fowlkes 68

Penny and Bob Fox The Fremont-Smith Family Greg and Heather Garland Peter Georgantas The Geschke Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Mark H. Gottwald Susan Zises Green Evan and Sascha Greenberg Jeff and Kim Greenberg Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin H. Griswold IV Ray and Elizabeth Grubbs Charles and Kaaren Hale Linda and Joe Hale Melissa Hancock Dee and Jimmy Haslam Kathleen Hay, Kathleen Hay Designs Cassandra H. Henderson Ann and Peter Holmes Mark and Bridget Hubbard Barbara E. Jones The Judy Family Foundation Diane and Art Kelly Thomas and Janet Kershaw Patricia and James Kielley Kim Solow and Jack Kilgore Kenneth and Carol Kinsley Michael Kovner & Jean Doyen de Montaillou Christopher and Janet Larsen Sue and Byron Lingeman Livingston Family Fund Gay and Charlie Lord Sharon Lorenzo Mr. and Mrs. Richard W. Lowry Michael and Karen Lynch Mary-Adair Macaire

Bernadette Maglione Charles and Margaret Marino Mr. and Mrs. Edward J. McCarthy Linda and Ben McGrath Ethan McMorrow Mrs. Rachel L. Mellon Barbara Mendlowitz Richard and Ronay Menschel Pam and Rich Merriman John Merson and Carol Bunevich Jason Michel Elizabeth von Summer and John Moller William M. Moore Winnie and Chris Mortenson Craig and Ann Muhlhauser Mr. and Mrs. Raymond F. Murphy Jr. The Nichols Family Richard Nopper Sharon and David Northrup Norton Preservation Trust Sally and Michael Orr Dorothy Palmer Prather and Patricia Palmer Robb and Mary Ann Peglar Kathryn and Roger Penske Lyman and Kate Perry Maureen Phillips Bill and Clarissa Porter Christopher and Ann Quick Robert and Laura Reynolds George and Regina Rich Marcia and Tom Richards Susan and Kennedy P. Richardson George and Maria Roach Mr. and Mrs. Robert M. Rosenthal Ellen and David Ross Mr. and Mrs. Charles E. Ryan Bonnie Sacerdote Denise Saul Mark and Samantha Sandler

Ruth and John Sayer Georgia Ann Snell William and Maria Spears Laura and Greg Spivy Peter C. Steingraber Harris and Esta-Lee Stone Sheila and Bill Sullivan John and Marie Sussek Lydia and Jack Sussek Merrielou and Ned Symes James and Debra Treyz Louise Turner and Jobst Wagner Jane and Wat Tyler Scott and Pam Ulm Liz and Geoff Verney Lynda Vickers-Smith Pam and Will Waller Suellen Ward and John Copenhaver Mark and Rosanne Welshimer Mr. and Mrs. John Robinson West Caroline and Helmut Weymar Henry K. Willard II Jean and Rick Witmer David and Mary Wolff Suzanne and Bob Wright â&#x20AC; Deceased

Build on the Past Train for the Future Are you inspired by old buildings? Want to expand your career in the construction field? Consider learning a traditional building technique. These much sought-after crafts can provide you with skills to restore Nantucketâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s historic architecture. Through its Scholarship Program, NPT is dedicated to providing training opportunities for island residents. Timber framing, joinery, plastering, masonry, and more... For further information, contact: Nantucket Preservation Trust 55 Main Street â&#x20AC;˘ P.O. Box 158 Nantucket, MA 02554 T: 508-228-1387

www.nantucketpreservation.org

Join the Nantucket Preservation Trust’s

• Cornerstone Society •

Help us ensure Nantucket’s architectural heritage for present and future generations. There are two ways to give. THE NPT PRESERVATION FUND Make a contribution to support scholarships for students and tradespeople interested in learning traditional building, to sponsor speakers, and to assist with preservation easements. and/or PLANNED GIVING Simply remember NPT in your estate planning and let us know that a bequest to NPT is included in your will. However you give, your contribution is greatly appreciated and will help us to continue our work to celebrate Nantucket’s architectural heritage. For more information, contact Michael May, Executive Director, at the NPT office: 508-228-1387 mmay@nantucketpreservation.org

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Your link to Historic or Contemporary Nantucket Properties Barbara Ann Joyce Broker Sales & Rentals 508-228-2266 x22 508-221-8788 cell baj@greatpointproperties.com

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fourth annual

Nantucket Garden Festival

A celebration of island gardening tours • workshops lectures • vendors

Whaling Museum & Historic Sites

www.nha.org 508 228 1894

July 25~28, 2012

Your portal to Nantucket’s Rich History

nantucketgardenfestival.com 76

Who do you trust to create your dream space?

Credentials Matter

Best examPle of creativity

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Trudy Dujardin, ASID, LEED Accredited Professional +ID + C

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WEALTH MANAGEMENT

Brown Brothers Harriman is pleased to sponsor the Nantucket Preservation Trust 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

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