Ramblings 2024 - Nantucket Preservation Trust

RAMBLINGS

Dear Members and Friends,

Thanks for picking up a copy of Ramblings, NPT’s annual magazine. For eighteen years, we’ve highlighted the important historic preservation work happening year-round on Nantucket.

In this issue, celebrate our 2023 Preservation Award Winners, honored last September; remember buildings Lost, Threatened, and Saved on Nantucket; dig into demolition delay bylaws across the Commonwealth, and learn more about how Nantucket’s history of building material reuse may be a key to our sustainable future. Ramblings also provides a glimpse into the history of 70 Orange Street, built c.1801 by Lot Cottle, a farmer.

Be sure to mark your calendars for our signature summer events, including a lecture and luncheon with architect Gil Schafer III on Tuesday, July 23rd and our Annual August Fête on West Chester Street on Thursday, August 8th.

We hope you enjoy this issue and look forward to seeing you at our events this summer. For more timely updates, be sure to check out our blog, The Fanlight, on our website.

Sincerely,

Mary Bergman Executive Director

The Nantucket Preservation Trust preserves, protects, and promotes the island’s unique architectural heritage and sense of place.

For more information, please visit us at: 11 Centre Street | P.O. Box 158, Nantucket, MA 02554 |508-228-1387 | www.nantucketpreservation.org

Ramblings is provided at no cost to our members, island residents, and visitors. Please extend the life of this publication by passing it along to a friend.

Board of Directors

Executive

by

Photo

Kathleen Hay

the nantucket preservation trust

Preserving the Island’s Architectural Heritage 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.

our proGraMs

Architectural Studies • Architectural Lectures • Architectural Preservation Fund • August Fête • Brief Histories, House Genealogies, and Comprehensive House Histories

Historic District Commission Testimonies •

Historic House Tours • Historic Research • House Consultations • House Markers • House Resource Assistance • Interior Surveys • Landmark History Books • Main Street Architectural Walking Tour • Nantucket Preservation Symposium • Neighborhood Book Series • Preservation Awards • Preservation Easements • Preservation Month Programs • Private Walking Tours • Ramblings • Resource Guide • Scholarships • ’Sconset & Codfish Park Walking Tours • Summer Lecture and Luncheon

Traditional Building Methods Demonstrations

Did You Know?

Across Massachusetts, communities use demolition delays to give historic buildings the chance to be saved. A demolition delay bylaw requires that any person seeking to demolish a building must wait a certain period of time (generally six to eighteen months), allowing others the chance to either arrange to move a building or to salvage materials from it before it is demolished, or to consider a design proposal for a building that retains much of the original structure. It does not necessarily prevent a demolition, but it does allow for a chance to consider alternatives that respect historic structures.

According to data compiled by the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) in 2023, 159 of the 351 municipalities in the Commonwealth have demolition delay bylaws. The most common length of delay is six months, but the MHC recommends one year. Of the 159 communities with a demolition delay, only 12 have wait times less than six months. Nantucket is one of them, with a delay of just 60 days.

Nantucket’s bylaw went into effect in 1997 and is designed to save buildings with residential reuse potential, whether they be historic homes or new construction. However, 60 days is rarely enough time to secure the necessary permits, approvals, and contracts required to move a house to a new location. Extending Nantucket’s demolition delay from 60 days to six months could allow for more houses to be saved from the landfill and be reused elsewhere on island. It allows not only for a more sustainable, less wasteful future, but also can help provide a more affordable option for housing and help preserve historic buildings. Read more about a historic house saved through a house move in the following pages.

Lost, Threatened, and Saved

Meridian Cottage, November, 2023

Meridian site, March 13, 2024

Meridian in dumpsters, March 15, 2024

Lost: Meridian Cottage

29 Commercial Wharf

For centuries, Nantucket’s waterfront was the industrial center of the island, home to whale oil refineries, candle factories, rope walks, shipyards, and more. Even as Nantucket’s resort economy developed in the late-19th and early 20th centuries, Commercial Wharf remained just that—commercial. The development of the wharfs as accommodations for summer visitors came later than some of the other tourism-focused changes on the island, starting in the 1950s, when rental cottages began to be constructed on the waterfront. June and Eben Hutchinson, Jr. had one such cottage constructed for them on Commercial Wharf, which they began to advertise for rent in 1956. The Hutchinsons owned Meridian Cottage, a small two-bedroom, vernacular broken back salt box structure, at 29 Commercial Wharf, but sold the building in 1964 to Island Service Company, which in January 1974 consolidated with Sherburne Associates, the large and influential enterprise overseen by Walter Beinecke, Jr. Meridian Cottage became part of a larger portfolio of Sherburne Associates rental properties on the waterfront. Sherburne Associates oversaw a complete redevelopment of Straight Wharf, Old South Wharf, and Commercial Wharf, which, according to Building with Nantucket in Mind , the guidebook of Nantucket’s Historic District Commission (HDC), “single handedly turned the island’s economy around.” Beinecke won numerous historic preservation awards for his work on Nantucket, and his influence is one of the reasons that the period of significance for Nantucket’s National Historic Landmark designation extends until 1975.

Unfortunately, when an application to demolish Meridian Cottage came before the HDC, the significance of Beinecke’s historic preservation work, presented by the Town’s Preservation Planner, was largely ignored. Members of the HDC voted to approve the demolition in a 3-2 vote, with

many commissioners focusing on the poor condition of the cottage, and not its historical significance. The HDC conditioned their approval of the demolition on materials being salvaged from the building. Some windows were removed, and other interior features, but on March 14, 2024, Meridian Cottage was razed and its historic fabric was piled into dumpsters. The Certificate of Appropriateness for the demolition had not yet been filed at the time of the demolition, and Nantucket Preservation Trust filed an appeal of the HDC’s decision, which is pending as of press time for this magazine.

Meridian Cottage was a Contributing building to the Nantucket National Historic Landmark. Small 20 th century cottages like Meridian helped to tell the story of the redevelopment of Nantucket’s waterfront from industrial center to resort destination. The cottage was a part of harbor front viewshed captured by artists and photographers for nearly 80 years. Now it is slated to be replaced with a 21 st century cottage from another parcel on Commercial Wharf. Our 20 th -century architectural heritage is at risk, and too much of it has been lost already. It’s past time that the HDC follows its own guidelines and refuses to approve the demolition of contributing buildings like Meridian Cottage.

Meridian Cottage on the far right, c. 1960s

Threatened: Jetties Beach Bathing Pavilion

Purchased by the Town of Nantucket for $5,500 in 1903, Cliff Bathing Beach (now called Jetties Beach) has been a popular swimming destination for visitors and residents of Nantucket for more than 120 years.

The Town of Nantucket leased the operations of the bathing beach to Clifford Folger, who hired the architectural firm Peabody & Sterns to design a new beach pavilion building. Peabody & Sterns were an iconic American architectural firm who designed many shingle-style resort-era structures up and down the East Coast. Active from 1870 until 1917, Peabody & Sterns designed more than 80 resort homes, including the original Breakers in Newport, Rhode Island. Peabody & Sterns also designed buildings for more than forty colleges and boarding schools, beginning with the Smith College Art Museum in 1874.

Despite being one of the most prolific architectural firms at the time, with more than 1,000 commissions, Peabody & Stearns designed relatively few public buildings—no more than forty. While many examples of the firm’s residential architecture survive, the Jetties Beach Bathing Pavilion is a rare surviving example of a Peabody & Stearns building intended for public use.

Jetties Beach Pavilion, c. 1940, courtesy of Nantucket Historical Association

The original structure consisted of a casino with wings on either side, stretching 300 feet over the sand.The wings contained three hundred changing rooms with shower baths and lavatories. (In the age of woolen bathing suits, changing into and out of a swimming costume was a production.)

The 1904 building constructed at modern-day Jetties Beach was reconfigured in 1909. In 1912, Clifford Folger again contracted with Peabody & Stearns to make additions to the bathhouse. Clerestory windows were added, and the roof pitch of the bathhouse was adjusted. Changes were made to the configuration of the buildings over the years, including the demolition of one of the bathhouse wings in 1972. The so-called Perfect Storm of 1991 caused significant damage to the pavilion building and bathhouse.

The Jetties Beach Bathing Pavilion has suffered damage over the years due to its proximity to the sea. Harsh maritime conditions, like blowing sand and salt air, means the building requires near-continual maintenance. More frequent destructive storms, flooding, and sea-level rise all threaten the Jetties Beach bathhouse.

The Town of Nantucket’s Department of Parks and Recreation, in consultation with the Historic District Commission and Conservation Commission, is working with a team from Weston & Sampson to plan for the resilient future of this important structure.

Bathers at Jetties Beach Pavilion

Saved: Bright Lights Cottage

“It was John C. Ring’s cottage at Madaket that was the first to light up with the town current…The Ramsdell cottage came next, with the electric lights twinkling the following day.” - Inquirer & Mirror , June 29, 1935

Warren Ramsdell (1838–1909), for whom Warrens Landing was named, was involved in Nantucket civic life and the development of Madaket. He was a fish warden, a lifesaver, and one of the Madaket men who helped land the telegraph cable in 1885.

Warren’s son, Frank W. Ramsdell (1887–1990) was born on Nantucket and spent some time working for a bank in Boston. He returned to the island and was the assistant postmaster of Nantucket in the early 1920s. By 1925, he began working at the Pacific National Bank until 1955, when he retired, earning the rank of treasurer at the bank.

Frank purchased approximately 2.3 acres of land in Madaket in 1923 from Reginald F. Hussey. By June of 1935, the cottage that would come to be known as “Bright Lights Cottage” was erected. It appears on the 1935 arial survey and is referenced in June 22 and June 29, 1935 articles in The Inquirer & Mirror . Bright Lights Cottage was rented to visitors looking to enjoy summers in Madaket until 1970, when it was sold to new owners who made it their summer retreat.

An application to demolish the Ramsdell Cottage came before the Historic District Commission last summer. Jasper Young, owner of Young’s Bicycle Shop, had been looking for a house to move onto his lot. A surfer, Jasper appreciated the old beach house, especially the original fireplaces, paneling, and cottage windows. The owners were willing to wait for Jasper to arrange the necessary permits to move the structure. There was only one catch—the house was too big to fit on one truck. The cottage was cut in two and traveled more than five miles to its new home. npt

Bright Lights Cottage, c. 1992

A portion of Bright Lights Cottage being moved down Madaket Road.

The Annual Preservation Awards

7 Starbuck Court, 2023

A Very Old House

by Judy Belash, 2023 Stewardship Award Winner

I live in a very old house, But the roof and the shingles are new today And will be renewed again from time to time.

But deep inside my very old house Where the floorboards are spreading and the plaster is cracked, Nothing needs to be replaced or renewed, Nothing needs to be changed for me.

My very old house is small, But big enough to store thousands of memories. That settle down deeper and deeper into history, Where they will always belong.

I hope my very old house will remain Able to host the old ghosts and welcome the ghosts to come, Because I love my very old house.

NPT’s Preservation Awards are presented to individuals and organizations that advance the cause of historic preservation on Nantucket. Highlighting projects and the people who commissioned and completed preservation work is our way of honoring those who demonstrate to the community that sensitive preservation is possible and rewarding. Preservation Awards recipients serve as restoration role models and help ensure the protection of the island’s historic resources for future generations.

The NPT’s Preservation Awards emphasize proper preservation and sensitive new construction, showcase Nantucket’s craftspeople, and celebrate the foresight and stewardship of owners who care about our historic structures and the island landscape.

The deadline for applications for our 2024 Awards is July 1, 2024. Visit bit.ly/NPTawards to download the submission form.

ARCHITECTURAL PRESERVATION

The Michelle Elzay 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 a significant preservation project. Structures may contain additions that are compatible with the historic sections and include exterior and interior work. 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 AND GARDEN

The Caroline A. Ellis Landscape & Garden Award recognizes gardens and landscapes on Nantucket that embody our unique sense of place and celebrates the people who make them.

STEWARDSHIP

The John A. and Katherine S. 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 who maintains a historic property or who has played 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. Past recipients have balanced time-honored methods with modern tools. Consideration can be for one exemplary project or an entire body of work.

HISTORICAL RENOVATION

The Historical Renovation Award recognizes the owner(s) of a historic structure and the building professionals who assisted in the design and completion of a sensitive new addition to a historic structure. Projects should harmonize with the massing and architectural details of the original structure rather than overwhelm the original structure.

NEW CONSTRUCTION

The New Construction Award recognizes new buildings or additions to non-historic structures that take into special consideration the surrounding structures and harmonize with the historic streetscape. An award-worthy new construction project is one that looks as though it has always been there or adds something that has been taken away.

In addition to the annual awards, the NPT board of directors periodically honors those who have made a major impact on preservation of the island’s architectural heritage with the Excellence in Preservation Award . For additional information on NPT award recipients—past and present— visit us online at www.nantucketpreservation.org

PAST AWARD RECIPIENTS

MICHELLE ELZAY ARCHITECTURAL PRESERVATION AWARD

Karli and Jim Hagedorn, 34 West Chester Street, 2022

Whitney Lucks and Karl Schneider, 85 Main Street, 2021

The Museum of African American History, Boston and Nantucket, The Boston-Higginbotham House, 27 York Street, 2020

Jeffrey Paduch and Caroline Hempstead, 86 Main Street, 2019

The Hospital Thrift Shop, 17 India Street, 2018

Siasconset Union Chapel Board of Trustees, 2017

Virginia Andrews; George Gray LLC, 55 Union Street, 2016

Nantucket Historical Association, Old Gaol, 2015

Ed and Joan Lahey, 7 Farmer Street, 2014

Michelle Elzay, Sparrow Design, 43 Pine Street, 2013

Maria Mitchell Association, Maria Mitchell Birthplace, 2012

South Church Preservation Fund, 11 Orange Street, 2011

Lucy Dillon, property owner; 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

CAROLINE A. ELLIS LANDSCAPE AND GARDEN AWARD

The Creeks Preserve, The Nantucket Islands Land Bank and Lucille Hays, 174 Orange Street, 2022

Siasconset Union Chapel, Michael Van Valkenburgh Landscape Associates, and Champoux Landscape, 18 New Street, Siasconset, 2021

Russell and Marian Morash, 2020

Florence Merriam Hill (posthumously), 2019

Mariann Berg (Hundahl) Appley, 69 Main Street, 2018

Dale Gary, Town Arborist, 2017

Paula Lundy Levy, Tuck’t In: A Walking Tour of Historic Prospect Hill Cemetery, 2016

Nantucket Conservation Foundation, 2014

Nantucket Garden Club, Main Street Horse Fountain, 2013

Charlotte and MacDonald Mathey, Hedged About, ’Sconset, 2012

Dr. and Mrs. John Espy, 4 New Dollar Lane, 2011

Marilyn Whitney, Moors End, 19 Pleasant Street, 2010

Caroline Ellis, ’Sconset Trust, Sankaty Head Lighthouse, 2009

JOHN A. AND KATHERINE S. LODGE STEWARDSHIP AWARD

Allan Bell, Nantucket Pharmacy, 45 Main Street, 2022

The Phelan Family, 57-65 Pleasant Street, 2021

HallKeen Management, Academy Hill Apartments, 4 Westminster Street, 2020

Pacific Club Directors, The Pacific Club, 15 Main Street, 2020

Kristen Williams-Haseotes, Shanunga, 10 Broadway, Siasconset, 2019

The Harris Family, John Ray House, 8 Ray’s Court, 2018

Rodts Family, 5 Broadway, 2017

Constance Umberger, 3 Bear Street, 2017

Elizabeth Hilger, 139 Main Street, 2017

PAST AWARD RECIPIENTS

JOHN A. AND KATHERINE S. LODGE STEWARDSHIP AWARD - continued

Noyes Family, 90 North Liberty Street, 2017

Mark and Gwenn Snider, Nantucket Hotel, 2016

Liz Coffin and Matt and Sheila Fee, 106 Main Street Façade, 2016

Jason Tilroe, 75 Main Street, 2015

Muriel Williams (posthumously), 4 Traders Lane, 2014

St. Paul’s Church in Nantucket, Stained Glass Restoration, 2013

Nantucket Historical Association, Photographic Image Archive, 2012

Fremont-Smith family, Atlantic House, ’Sconset, 2011

Margaret Yates Berkheimer (posthumously), 8 Pine Street, 2010

Sanford Kendall, numerous carpentry projects, 2009

Clarissa Porter, 5 Quince Street, 2008

Katherine S. Lodge, 94 Main Street, 2008

TRADITIONAL BUILDING METHODS AWARD

Colin Evans, Mason, 2022

Valley Restoration and the South Church Preservation Fund, 11 Orange Street, 2021

Ben Moore, Carpenter, 2020

Newton Millham, Blacksmith, 2019

Wayne Morris, Mason, 2018

John Wathne and Structures North, 2017

Brian FitzGibbon, Window Restorer, 2016

David Bergquist, Bergquist Masonry LLC, 2014

Sam and Ellen Phelan, property owners; Twig Perkins, contractor, 65 Pleasant Street, 2013

Curtis Livingston, 18 India Street, 2012

Michael Burrey, Timber Framer, 2011

Pen Austin, plaster and lime-mortar expert, 2010

HISTORICAL RENOVATION AWARD

Sherry Lefevre; Bill Willet, 30 Pine Street, 2021

Ken Jennings and Al Messina; Sandcastle Construction, 10 Martins Lane, 2020

Keith and Elizabeth Roe; Michael Sweeney Construction, 51B Centre Street, 2019

Paul McLeod and Jamie Pfaff, 29 Liberty Street, 2015

Angus and Deb MacLeod, Angus MacLeod Designs; Johnson, Stockton and Jones families, property owners, for 9, 12, 14, and 15 Pochick Street, ’Sconset, 2013

NEW CONSTRUCTION AWARD

George and Nell Wilson, 39 Main Street, Siasconset, 2019

Emeritus Development, Nantucket Yacht Club Dormitory, 4 South Beach Street, 2018

Elizabeth Churchill, Bentley & Churchill Architects, 5 Grand Avenue, 2017

Robert and Martha Lipp, 251 Polpis Road, 2015

EXCELLENCE IN PRESERVATION AWARD

University of Florida’s Preservation Institute: Nantucket, 2013

Brian Pfeiffer, 2012

Helen Seager, 1999

Walter Beinecke Jr., 1998

Interior of 7 Starbuck Court, 2023

7 Starbuck Court

Dana and Jamey Simpson

A historic candlehouse has been given new life under the ownership of Jamey and Dana Simpson. Originally constructed c. 1807 as a candle factory by brothers Joseph and Simeon Starbuck, the building was converted to a dwelling between 1923 and 1949. When the Simpsons purchased the property at the end of Starbuck Court in 2020, they became only the fifth family to own the building in its more than 200year history. Once taking ownership, they sought to respect the historic character of the property and leave as much unchanged as possible, while modernizing it for a 21st-century family.

The Simpsons needed more space than was available in the candle house and a c.1837 shed on the property. They hired the architecture firm Hendricks Churchill to design thoughtful renovations of the historic structures and conceive a path forward that provided the additional living space that was needed. Under the direction of senior designer James Harris, it was decided that adding a third structure would allow for these improvements without altering the existing footprints of either of the historic buildings. Taking its architectural cues from the candlehouse, this third structure is connected to the historic building via a boardwalk.

In the historic candle factory, a team led by project manager Boris Braun and site manager Robert Aschwandenby from Todd Burns Building and Restoration oversaw updates that included plasterwork completed by Oscar Erazo of EC&P, Inc. The main living space retains its open stud walls and tall vaulted ceilings. The Simpsons respected the quirks of a building not originally constructed as a dwelling, which required a new foundation for stability. Mason Kevin Martin did period-appropriate work in the old and new building. Custom doors by Nantucket Millworks complement existing features, as does custom millwork by William Green Woodworking. The rest of the team included crews from Barret Enterprises, Strang LLC,

Fireplace at 6 Farmer Street

Liberty Concrete, One Time Painting, O’Shea Electric, Dussault Plumbing, Maine & ACK HVAC, and Mac Davis Flooring. Julie Wood of Hither Creek Gardening collaborated with the homeowners to install simple gardens that complement the buildings and contain many native plants. Mike Misurelli of J&M Landscape Services completed all the hardscaping and larger plantings.

Homeowner and designer Dana Simpson of Hammertown Design drew inspiration from a1960s-era Historic American Building Survey interior photograph of the candlehouse. With beauty and utility at the forefront, Dana’s design incorporates vintage finds, the work of local craftspeople and artisans, and one-of-a-kind pieces that harmonize with the historic space. The bohemian Monaghan Sisters of Greater Light (8 Howard Street) would feel right at home here.

JOHN A. and KATHERINE S. LODGE STEWARDSHIP AWARD

6 Farmer Street

Judy and John Belash

The Shubael Folger Jr. house at 6 Farmer Street is one of the more unusual homes in town—connected to its neighbor at 4 Farmer Street, it provided a peculiar preservation task to Judy and John Belash, who purchased the home in 1998. Upon taking ownership of the c. 1764 house, the Belashes sought to adapt it for their uses and restore historic elements that had been covered over time. They removed Victorian-era and later 20th-century finishes to expose the home’s 18th-century features, including original cradleboards, floors, mantels, fireplace paneling, and banister. Working with builder Frank Psaradelis, they replicated details that had been removed, like a beaded detail on the door frame leading to a new sunroom, where there had previously been a shed built against the house. When the central chimney, which had been partially deconstructed by a prior owner, collapsed, the Belashes chose to reuse as much of the original brick as possible when reconstructing one of the fireboxes. Under the Belashes ownership, the remarkably intact 18th-century details of 6 Farmer Street are able to shine.

8 North Liberty Street

Rebecca and Henry Packer

8 North Liberty Street, the Henry C. Pinkham house, was constructed between 1834 and 1852. Over its long history, just four families have owned the home, each making respectful additions and preserving original Greek Revival features. Photographer Louis S. Davidson and his wife Alice Davidson purchased 8 North Liberty in 1944, and in 2007, their daughter Joan Pratel placed a conservation restriction on the land surrounding 8 North Liberty Street, ensuring that the approximately 1.5-acre parcel, with old growth elm trees, will be preserved as open space. Joan’s niece, and Louis and Alice’s granddaughter, Rebecca Davidson Packer, and her husband Henry, acquired the home in 2012, embarked on a careful rehabilitation of the home that included refinishing the historic floors and repairing and repainting the plaster walls, all work performed with the utmost care.

8 North Liberty Street

TRADITIONAL BUILDING METHODS AWARD

Michael Gault, Carpenter

Carpenter Michael Gault has a love of old buildings and a refusal to cut corners. Originally from New Hampshire, he came to Nantucket in 2003 and worked as a lobsterman alongside Chuck Butler for a couple of years. Mike returned to New Hampshire, but Nantucket was never far from his mind, and in 2011 he made the island his permanent home. Mike used his woodworking skills to make furniture for designers and carved quarterboards for Nantucket homes. He established his own business, Gault Woodworking, in 2013. Mike has worked on numerous previous NPT-Award winning projects, including the historic restorations of 55 Union Street, 84 Main Street, 86 Main Street, and the Hospital Thrift Shop, where he is the building’s caretaker. Mike believes in reusing and repurposing historic materials wherever possible. Mike consistently and creatively employs perhaps the most traditional of building methods—especially in Nantucket— the reuse and repurposing of building materials. At a recently completely renovation of a 1903 beach house in Quidnet Mike re-hung and re-fit the existing windows, created flooring for a new bedroom from shelving reclaimed in New Hampshire, built the outdoor shower floor with lumber from a porch in Wauwinet, repurposed doors from his personal stash – and the old kitchen cupboards became the new bathroom vanity. With consummate attention to detail and craftsmanship, his skills help preserve Nantucket’s historic treasures.

CAROLINE A. ELLIS LANDSCAPE & GARDEN AWARD

Kathrina Marques

For more than 35 years on Nantucket, Kathrina Marques has contributed her time, attention, and knowledge to some of the island’s most beloved gardens. Originally from Dublin, Ireland, Kathrina first came to the island for a summer job and has left her mark. Since 2002, she has cared for the landscapes of the Nantucket Historical Association, where she is currently the Landscape and Grounds Manager. At the c. 1686 Oldest House on Sunset Hill, Kathrina maintains its 17th-century style kitchen garden, full of herbs, vegetables, and other plants with various medicinal or culinary uses that Kathrina can describe in detail. She also works on period-appropriate planting designs at other NHA sites including Greater Light, the Thomas Macy House, and the Hadwen House, where she is aided by volunteers from the Nantucket Garden Club. Kathrina stewarded the gardens at the former Nantucket Lightship Basket Museum, and, when the building on Union Street was sold, she oversaw the removal and replanting of apple trees from that location to the Oldest House garden. Her own home garden, on Surfside Road, is a beautiful treat to view for anyone walking or biking past, or even those stuck sitting in traffic. Kathrina has expanded her knowledge through courses in landscape preservation and garden history with the Landscape Institute through Boston Architectural College, and she is always willing to share what she knows with island visitors and residents alike.

HISTORIC RENOVATION AWARD

31 Main Street, Siasconset

Hollie and Jamie Holt

The house at 31 Main Street in ’Sconset has changed greatly over time, evolving from its original vernacular Greek Revival construction c. 1858, to being covered with Stick-style ornamentation in the late-19th century, to a substantial Queen Anne style renovation in the early-20th century. James and Hollie Holt purchased 31 Main Street in 2012, and immediately appreciated its history and evolution over time, but with

Opposite: The 17th-century style kitchen garden at the Oldest House, 2023

just one bathroom on the second floor of the house shared between four bedrooms, they sought to create an additional bathroom with as little disturbance to the existing home as possible. They considered converting an historic garage on their property to a bedroom and bathroom, but with the help of architectural designer Angus MacLeod realized they could fulfill their program needs with minimal disturbance to their existing home.Two closets between two bedrooms were altered to create a new ensuite bath, with only slight changes to the home’s flow, with work carefully completed by builder Don Meyers. The Holt’s found a creative way to create additional space within the confines of their home, respecting the property’s history and character. npt

Above:

Opposite: The back garden at 31 Main Street, Siasconset

31 Main Street, Siasconset

Featuring Gil Schafer on Building a Home to Last: Lessons from the Creative Process...and from Life

Thursday, July 23, 2024

11:00 a.m. at the Ballroom at the White Elephant Village 12 South Water Street

For the last three decades, award-winning architect and bestselling author Gil Schafer has designed houses that not only meet the demands of the current moment but are also designed to endure. The winner of nearly every industry award and a regular on Architectural Digest’s AD100 list and many other lists of top architects and designers around the country, he has a deep understanding that a house is ultimately never meant to be about its architect, but rather, as his clients know, about those individuals whose days and lives will unfold within its walls. Now, in his new book, Home At Last: Enduring Design for the New American House , Gil welcomes readers into a series of new residences across the country, sharing how his own design evolution has increased his appreciation for the richness—and messiness!—of modern life, and the ways in which it can take both houses, and the people who live in them, in unexpected and wonderful directions. Join Gil for this lavishly illustrated talk as he opens the doors to many of these memorable spaces, offering practical advice on how craftsmanship, creativity, and the distinctive stories, tastes, and lives of his clients come together for homes that will last for generations to come.

Purchase tickets online at nantucketpreservation.org

2024 Annual August Fête

Thursday, August 8, 2024

Join us as we celebrate our 19th Annual August Fête Thursday, August 8, 2024

A Night on Nantucket’s North Shore

We’re thrilled to host this year’s Fête on West Chester Street, in the historic North Shore neighborhood overlooking the Lily Pond.

Enjoy cocktails and hearty hors d’oeuvres as we tour unique historic homes, along with live music, a silent auction, and paddle raise.

General admission tickets to the Fête go on sale June 15.

For tickets and information, please visit www.nantucketpreservation.org or call the NPT office at 508-228-1387.

Nantucket Preservation Trust is most grateful to our underwriters, sponsors, and Fête leaders.

Learn the stories of more than sixty ’Sconset village cottages, beautifully illustrated with over 250 images.

Scan to purchase through the NPT online store

Garden on Charter Street

DESIGNER LIGHTING SHOP NOW KELLY WEARSTLER PEDRA LARGE TWO-TIER CHANDELIER IN ANTIQUE-BURNISHED BRASS WITH ALABASTER VISUALCOMFORT.COM

Mantels salvaged from deconstructed homes are stacked at RePurpose Savannah’s salvage yard.

Architectural Reuse: Learning from Other Communities

How can we create a more sustainable future and help save historic building materials for reuse? In February 2024, Nantucket Preservation Trust staff and other Nantucket stakeholders traveled to Savannah, Georgia for Build Reuse‘s 2024 conference, Salvaging the Past, Building a Low-Carbon Future, supported by ReMain Nantucket. We learned from people across the country who are working in the front lines of the building deconstruction, salvage, and reuse movement.

On Nantucket, we generate more than 17,000 tons of Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste annually—that’s approximately one ton of C&D waste for every year-round island resident. Deconstruction offers a greener alternative to mechanical demolition that not only diverts waste from landfills, but also allows for building materials to be salvaged for reuse in other building projects, or to be repurposed and given a new life. It’s also a practice that’s in keeping with Nantucket’s history of house moving and salvage. Our Nantucket group, which consisted of NPT staff Mary Bergman and Rita Carr, ReMain Nantucket’s Program and Marketing Manager Virna Gonzalez, Housing Nantucket Executive Director Anne Kuszpa, and the Town of Nantucket’s Solid Waste Manager Chris Lowe, was inspired by stories from across the country: from Seattle to Baltimore and Minneapolis to San Antonio, different municipalities and nonprofit organizations are exploring varied strategies to limit demolitions of historic structures and the incredible amount of waste that demotions generate.

The conference was held at Kehoe Ironworks, a great example of adaptive reuse on the edge of Savannah’s historic downtown. The conference also included a visit to the headquarters and lumberyard of RePurpose Savannah, where they store and sell materials salvaged from their deconstruction projects. RePurpose Savannah’s Executive Director Mae Bowley, who NPT brought to speak on Nantucket last September, led a tour through their impressive supply of lumber, windows, mantels, doors, hardware, and much more. When someone makes a purchase from RePurpose Savannah, they receive not only a high quality, historic, and eco-friendly material to use in their project, but they also receive information about the history of

A Walk Down Main Street Tour

Tuesdays, 3 P.M. (No tour 7/23)

Departs from 11 Centre Street, Nantucket Town

Learn about Main Street’s development, early residents, and architectural styles while exploring the area between the Pacific National Bank and the Civil War Monument.

’Sconset Village Tour

Thursdays, 3 P.M. (No tour 7/4, 7/25, 8/8, or 9/26)

Departs from 1 New Street, Siasconset

Join NPT Executive Director Mary Bergman to learn all about the unique fishing settlement and the village’s boom as a seaside resort and actors colony at the turn of the 20th century.

Codfish Park Tour

Schedule varies; check our website for up to date info. Departs from 1 New Street, Siasconset

In our newest tour, learn about the unique ’Sconset neighborhood of Codfish Park and its important role in Nantucket’s history.

All our tours begin in the first week of June and run through October 10.

Tours are $15/person and reservations are required. Visit www.nantucketpreservation.org to sign up.

Private group tours are available throughout the year, beginning at $250/group.

Contact info@nantucketpreservation.org to learn more.

what they bought, and the property from which it was salvaged, helping to preserve the stories of old buildings even after they have been deconstructed.

Nantucket faces challenges to implementing a deconstruction and salvage program, including the need for adequate space for storing materials for resale, and training a workforce to deconstruct, not demolish buildings. But the variety of approaches highlighted in Savannah prove that there are many ways to go about this – from ordinances that outlaw demolition, to providing tax credits or other monetary incentives to choose deconstruction over demolition, to fostering a culture of reuse and sustainability. Salvage and reuse is part of Nantucket’s history and could be a key to our sustainable future.

Group photo at conference (l-r): Rita Carr, Mary Bergman, Chris Lowe, Anne Kuszpa, and Virna Gonzalez

Preservation in Practice: revolving Fund study with

hanbury Preservation consulting

As the real estate prices on Nantucket soar and year-round rentals seem to become scarcer by the day, how can historic preservation help be a part of the affordable housing puzzle on island? Nantucket Preservation Trust commissioned leading preservation consultant Mary Ruffin Hanbury of Hanbury Preservation Consulting to complete a property redevelopment revolving fund feasibility study, funded by a planning grant from the 1772 Foundation. Completed in 2022, the study looked at best practices in preservation and affordable housing by evaluating programs in Charleston, South Carolina, Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia, Washington, DC, Miami, Florida, Jackson, Wyoming, and Aspen, Colorado. Mary Ruffin visited Nantucket and met with island stakeholders in the affordable housing and real estate realms, as well as NPT staff and board members. Her report identified metrics for measuring success in a revolving fund and proposed potential program policies, as well as criteria for a project evaluation matrix, as well as marketing and potential funding sources.

In 2023, Mary Ruffin returned to Nantucket to present findings from the study alongside NPT executive director Mary Bergman at a Heritage and Housing Symposium hosted by the Preservation Institute Nantucket. We look forward to continuing to work with our partners including Housing Nantucket and the Town of Nantucket to best harness the tools of historic preservation to help create more housing opportunities for the island community.

To read the full report, visit bit.ly/NPT-Study, or scan the QR code. If you are interested in working with NPT to create affordable housing opportunities in a historic property, please contact Mary Bergman at mbergman@ nantucketpreservation.org. npt

Scan the QR code to download the full study

npt house markers and house histories

Mark Your Old House

70 Orange Street

Lot

Cottle, Yeoman

c.

1801

Orange Street, post-1904, 70 Orange Street in the foreground

Every year, NPT completes research for property owners to help unlock their home’s past. Deed research, the first step, can assist in uncovering key information such as who built a house, the first owner’s occupation, and the date of construction. We can use this information to mark a house and to provide a bit of history for the passersby.

70 orange street

On July 28, 1801 Lot Cottle (1748–1823), a yeoman, or farmer, purchased a plot of 40 rods of vacant land, about a quarter acre, in Newtown from William Brown the Second, a mariner. The land was in the section of the West Monomoy shares that was originally laid out to John Coffin back in 1726. Lot likely set about building a house on the property shortly after purchasing the piece of land. By the time his heirs sold the property in 1825, it was known as his homestead. Lot constructed a simple rectangular Cape-style home, with 1.5 stories. Ariel Cathcart (1792–1880), a mariner, purchased the home and resided there for the rest of his life. In his lifetime, Lot Cottle had sold off a portion of the land he had purchased; what Ariel acquired was 21.5 rods of land. Ariel was likely away at sea as a young man, and the house would have been kept up by his wife, Eliza Chase (1791–1851) and their children. Ariel eventually retired from the seafaring life and operated a grocery store in a separate building on Orange Street.

When Ariel Cathcart died at the age of 88 in 1880, having outlived his four children, the house and outbuildings at 70 Orange Street were sold at auction to Samuel Woodward, a lawyer, for $250. It was likely Samuel who added the flush gable dormer and a secondfloor window to the front façade of the building, perhaps to create additional living space and light on the second floor, giving the house a decidedly more Victorian appearance than it would have had when built by Lot Cottle. The changes were made before 1909, and Samuel sold in after less than a year for $500, and such an increase in price suggests he made alterations to the property.

Benjamin F. Williams (1847–1928) and Susan C. Williams (1854–1912) purchased 70 Orange Street in March 1882. Benjamin and Susan had been married on Nantucket on August 22, 1880, and eventually had three children who lived to adulthood, all of whom were likely born at 70 Orange Street. Benjamin worked as a mason and general building contractor. He took advertisements in The Inquirer and Mirror advertising his services in “Bricklaying, Plastering, & All Kinds of Masonry.” He was also an active member of the International Order of Odd Fellows and a freemason, serving for many years as the tyler of the Nantucket Union Lodge.

In 1922, when Benjamin was in his late seventies, he transferred ownership of 70 Orange Street to his daughter Harriett C. Williams (1887–1976). Harriett worked as a schoolteacher on Nantucket, beginning in 1906 as the teacher at the Siasconset school, where she taught all nine grades but by 1911, she was teaching in town at the Academy Hill School. In 1930 and 1940, Harriett, or Hattie as she was known, was still a teacher at the public school, and her sister Susan (1882–1959) and her husband Ernest Crocker (1875–1953), who was a fireman and a janitor, were living with her at 70 Orange Street. Harriett retired from teaching in 1940 and began private tutoring lessons, conducted at her home. In 1949, Harriett’s years of service to Nantucket were recognized when a vote of Town Meeting appropriated an additional $500 a year for her pension, and she was remembered as a “standout” teacher by many of her past pupils, even decades after she retired. Harriett and Susan would spend summers in Madaket, and Ernest was a cofounder of the Maddaquett Admiralty Club. By 1950, Susan and Ernest still shared the home at 70 Orange Street. In 1956, Harriett, who had been the sole owner of the house, transferred ownership so it was shared equally between herself and her two sisters.

In 1959, following Susan’s death, Harriett and her sister Leila, who was also a teacher, sold 70 Orange Street to Katherine Coe Folger. Katherine was a registered nurse, and her husband, George Arthur Folger, was the town’s physician. The Folgers resided at 41 India Street, and Katherine’s reasons for purchasing 70 Orange Street are unclear, but she sold the building in 1961 to Deane and Barbara Robbins. Deane was stationed on Nantucket as an employee of the Federal Aviation Administration but didn’t reside on Orange Street long: in 1965, he and Barbara sold their home to Yolanda N. Osona, and the home became a seasonal residence for more than five decades. Under its current owner, Julie Biondi, 70 Orange Street is a year-round home once more.

70 Orange Street, 2023

Tuesday, July 23, 11:00 A.M.

Thursday, July 25, 4:00 P.M.

House Histories

N A N T U C K E T

A Special P rog ram 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 histories: our brief history, our house genealogy and our comprehensive history.

For more information, visit us online at: www.nantucketpreservation.org or contact us at 11 Centre Street, P.O. Box 158, Nantucket, MA 02554 508-228-1387

npt’s architectural preservation Fund

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 community support.

mary helen & michael Fabacher scholarship

The Mary Helen and Michael Fabacher Scholarship was established by the NPT (with generous support from the Fabachers) to offer Nantucketers the opportunity to enhance their building skills through a scholarship to the preservation carpentry program at the North Bennet Street School in Boston. Our goal in establishing this scholarship is to provide educational opportunities to encourage and promote traditional building methods essential for the preservation of Nantucket’s historic architecture.

In addition to the scholarship’s main goal, the program promotes understanding of traditional building methods by sponsoring field trips to the North Bennet Street School for middle- and high-school students, coordinating on-island demonstration projects for all age groups, and assisting the island building trades by offering short courses for learning traditional building methods.

Help us complete our scholarship endowment fund campaign by donating today. For more information about the scholarship program or to donate, email NPT’s Executive Director Mary Bergman at info@nantucketpreservation.org.

eASEMENTS: preservation in perpetuity

Ahistoric preservation easement is a legal document that protects the unique interior and exterior character defining features of a historic building. But what goes into the cost of creating, and administering, a preservation easement program? Each building must be thoroughly researched and documented to show the Massachusetts Historical Commission the significance of the structure. This baseline documentation and history is recorded with the restriction to show exactly what features are protected and why they are important.

NPT works with expert architectural historians to create the preservation restriction, which is then reviewed by the homeowner and their attorney. The Massachusetts Historical Commission reviews the document and weighs in with their questions and concerns. Although an easement is a voluntary agreement entered into by a homeowner and a qualified easement monitoring organization (NPT), Massachusetts is the only state where the municipality must sign off on the easement, too. Between the drafting of the restriction and state and local reviews, this process can take between a year and eighteen months.

NPT then has a responsibility to monitor the preservation easement in perpetuity. The cost to monitor a restricted property and create a site visit report is between $1,000 and $2,000, per property, annually.

One of the largest costs NPT expends on preservation easements occurs when a restricted property changes hands. NPT meets with the potential new homeowner to review their proposed changes to the property. We want to make sure a homeowner feels comfortable with the easement before buying a protected house. NPT is a resource to help homeowners find ways to achieve their desired program while preserving character-defining features protected by easements.

If a property owner does not fulfill the terms set forth in a preservation restriction, NPT has the responsibility to enforce the restriction, which could mean taking an owner to court. Gratefully, we have not yet found ourselves in that position, but it is a responsibility we take seriously.

Preservation easements are an important tool to protect historic properties. The management of this program in perpetuity requires an investment in the future.

CLARISSA PORTER PRESERVATION EASEMENT FUND

Clarissa Porter (1939–2012), a former NPT board member, was a tireless and passionate advocate for preservation and had a lifelong love of Nantucket and its historic architecture. She served as a member, since its inception, of the NPT Easement Committee, and her diligent work led directly to preservation easements on several properties and raised awareness of NPT and its mission.

Clarissa’s summer home at 5 Quince Street became the first property on the island to have its interior features protected by a preservation restriction. Because of Clarissa’s generosity and passion for historic Nantucket, the easement program is named in her honor.

Please consider a donation to the fund restricted for easement protection and assistance. Your gift will help with the costs of monitoring existing easements and creating new ones. For more information, visit us online at www.nantucketpreservation.org or call the NPT office at 508-228-1387.

First Congregational Church and Old North Vestry Bennett Hall (pending)

62 Centre Street

Quaker Meeting House 7 Fair Street

George G. Folger House 23/25 Fair Street (pending)

Fire Hose Cart House 8 Gardner Street

Daniel Worth House 10 Gardner Street (pending)

Greater Light 8 Howard Street

The Nantucket Atheneum 1 India Street

Hospital Thrift Shop 17 India Street

Mitchell-Beinecke House 69 Main Street

Jabez Bunker/Prince Gardner House 85 Main Street

Captain Thaddeus Coffin House 89 Main Street

Hadwen-Wright House 94 Main Street

Thomas Starbuck House 11 Milk Street

1800 House 4 Mill Street

Rescom Palmer House 9 New Mill Street

Antone Sylvia Grocery Store 79 Orange Street

Grafton Gardner House 8 Pine Street

David Swain 2nd House 43 Pine Street (pending)

Nathaniel Hussey House 5 Quince Street

Captain Peleg Bunker House 4 Traders Lane

Nicholson-Andrews House 55 Union Street

Maria Mitchell Birthplace 1 Vestal Street

Maria Mitchell Library Vestal Street

Maria Mitchell Observatory Vestal Street (pending)

American Legion 21 Washington Street

Nantucket Island School of Design & the Arts (Sea View Farm) 23 Wauwinet Road

Surfside Life Saving Station 31 Western Avenue

Admiral Sir Isaac Coffin Lancasterian School 4 Winter Street

Mitchell-Andrews Fish House (pending) 4 Old North Wharf

Boston-Higginbotham House 27 York Street npt easement properties

2023

HIGHLIGHTS

SALVAGE SPEAKERS

In June 2023, Nantucket Preservation Trust, hosted a standing-room-only lecture with Stephanie Phillips, the Deconstruction & Circular Economy Program Manager for the City of San Antonio, Texas. In September, we hosted an afternoon workshop about salvage and deconstruction. Mae Bowley, Executive Director of RePurpose Savannah, gave the keynote presentation about her work salvaging historic buildings in Savannah.

AWARDS

In 2023, NPT marked the seventeenth consecutive year of its awards program, which has honored dozens of owners, preservationists, and craftspeople. Over one hundred of our members, people in the preservation community, and award recipients and their families attended the September 28th awards ceremony held at historic Sherburne Hall.

NPT’s CORE PROGRAMS, MARKERS,

HISTORIES, and EASEMENTS provide the opportunity to educate, document, and protect the island’s historic properties. In 2023, NPT completed eleven markers and nine new house histories.

PRESERVATION IN PERPETUITY

In 2023, NPT entered into contracts on two new preservation easements, at 4 Old North Wharf and 43 Pine Street. Read more about the history and future of our easement program on page 61.

SCHOLARSHIP

Kevin Green of Nantucket graduated from the North Bennet Street School’s Preservation Carpentry program in May 2023. Kevin was awarded a partial scholarship to NBSS through NPT’s Mary-Helen and Michael Fabacher Scholarship.

FUND AND FRIEND RAISERS

We hosted our Annual August Fête, a sold out evening on India Street. Fête guests toured five historic homes on India Street. Our Sense of Place Exhibition and Auction continued with a wonderful display in Sherburne Hall and online bidding.

With thanks to our supporters

SENSE OF PLACE SOCIETY

The Ainslie Foundation

Mr. and Mrs. Alan F. Airth

Ms. Anna Fink, E.D. Anonymous

Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Bailey, Jr.

Ms. Mary-Randolph Ballinger

The Margaret Ritchie R. Battle Family Charitable Fund

Mr. and Mrs. David S. J. Brown

Mrs. William C. Buck

Ms. Amanda B. Cross

Mr. Andrew Forsyth and Ms. Kelly Williams

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Friedman

Ms. Karyn McLaughlin Frist

Mr. Mark H. Gottwald

Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Greenberg

Mr. and Mrs. James Hagedorn

Mr. and Mrs. Charles M. Hale

Mr. and Mrs. Christian M. Hoffman

Mr. and Mrs. Amos B. Hostetter, Jr.

Ms. Wendy Hubbell

Ms. Betsey Von Summer and Mr. John Moller

Mr. and Mrs. Stephen R. Karp

Mr. Jon M. King and Mr. John H. Ehrlich

Mr. and Mrs. David Lilly, Jr.

Mr. Charles W. Loeb, Jr. and Ms. Sandy Murphy

Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Maffeo

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Menschel

Mr. Albert S. Messina and Mr. Ken Jennings

Mr. and Mrs. William M. Moore

Mr. and Mrs. Craig H. Muhlhauser

Ms. Ann B. Oliver, Treasurer

Mr. and Mrs. Samuel P. Phelan

Mr. and Mrs. John J. Pisano

Mrs. Ella Wall Prichard

Mr. Charles R. Lenhart and Mr. Robert C. Newman, Sandcastle Construction, Inc.

Ms. Lynda Mead Shea

Mr. and Mrs. David Joel Spitler

Mr. and Mrs. Greg Spivy

Mr. and Mrs. Paul R. C. Sullivan

Mr. and Mrs. John Sussek, Jr.

Ms. Carolyn Thayer

Ms. Judith C. Tolsdorf

Mr. and Mrs. James Treyz

Ms. Louise E. Turner

Ms. Pam Waller

Leader Members

Mr. James W. Abbott and Ms. Debby Vander Woude

Mr. and Mrs. Leigh J. Abramson

Mr. Jeffrey Allen and Ms. Betty Browning

Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas C. Amendolare

Mr. and Mrs.Thomas Anathan

Mr. and Mrs. Edgar D. Ancona

Mr. and Mrs. Duncan M Anderson

Ms. Mariann Berg (Hundahl) Appley

Mr. and Mrs. Chris W. Armstrong

Mrs. Gale H. Arnold

Ms. Courtney A. Arnot

Mrs. Anne D. Bailliere

Mr.William Klein and Ms. Blue Balliett

Mr. and Mrs. David H. Barlow

Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth L. Beaugrand

Mr. and Mrs. John W. Belash

Mr. Allan D. Bell

Mr. Bruce Beni

Ms. Joanie S. Bentzin

Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey L. Besecker

Mr. and Mrs. Fred J. Boling, Jr.

Ms. Joan R. Bolling

Mr. Joseph Bonacci

Mr. and Mrs. Edward Bousa

Mr. and Mrs.Victor H. Boyajian

Mr. Guy Bristow and Ms. Barbara Presta

Mr. Paul Brody and Ms. Debra Goldstein

Mr. and Mrs. David A. Brownlee

Ms. Lisa-Margaret Stevenson Bryan

Mr. and Mrs. Kurt Buechle

Mr. and Mrs. Barrett Burns

Mr. Charles Byrne and Ms. Ellen Mitchell

Mr. and Mrs. Donald H. Callahan

Mr. John B. Carroll

Mr. and Mrs. Felix T. Charney

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Chasin

Mr. and Mrs. Jack N. Clevenger

Ms. Caroline Cole

Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Colliton

Ms. Susan M. Cosper and Mr. Brian Bartlett

Mr. and Mrs. John J. Cowden, Jr.

Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Craven

Ms. Hilary H. Cunniff

Mr. and Mrs.Wayne F. Davies

Ms. Anne Delaney and Mr. Calvin Carver, Jr.

Ms. Sascha Douglass

Dr. and Mrs.William H. Druckemiller

Ms.Trudy Dujardin

Mr. Lee Dunn

Ms. Diane Elliott

Mr. and Mrs. Michael A. Fabacher

Mr. and Mrs. Frank Fahrenkopf

Ms.Tracy Falconer

Mr. and Mrs.W. Gerard Fallon

Mr. and Mrs. Mark Filipski

Mr. Eric Finger and Ms. Jascin Leonardo Finger

Mr. and Mrs. Johan F. Firmenich

Mr. and Mrs. Michael M. Fowler

Mr. Robert Franklin and Mr. Charles Mappin

Ms. Sarah Gemmill and Mr. Erik L. Knutzen

Mrs. Charles M. Geschke

Mr. and Mrs.Thomas Giovine

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Gosh

Ms. Melanie L. Gowen

Ms.Toby A. Greenberg

Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin H. Griswold, IV

Mr. Peter J. Grua and Ms. Mary O’Connell

The Hon. and Mrs. Ray W. Grubbs

Mr. and Mrs. Henry B. Gutman

Mrs. Andrea Hamor

Mrs. Donald C. Harris

Mr. and Mrs. Robert T. Hay

Mr. and Mrs. Charles T. Haydock

Mrs.William H. Hays, III

Ms. Sara M. Hazelwood and Mr. Raul F.Yanes

Dr. Paula Henderson

Mr. and Mrs. Donald W. Heyda

Mr. Frank Hicks

Mr. and Mrs. James R. Holt, Jr.

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Holt

Dr. Douglas Horst and Ms. Maureen Phillips

Mr. and Mrs. Peter Jennison

Johnson & Johnson Fdt., Matching Gifts Program

Dr. Ann L. and Mr. Charles B. Johnson

Mr. and Mrs.Woodward Kay

Mr. and Mrs. Arthur L. Kelly

Dr. Keith M. Kerman and Dr. Debra S. Leizman

Mr. and Mrs. Marshall T. Keys

Mr. Jonathan S. King

Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Kinsley

Mr. and Mrs. Arie L. Kopelman

Mr. and Mrs. Jacob H. Korngold

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew D. Kotchen

Mr. and Mrs. Eric Kraeutler

Mr. and Mrs.† William P. Kupper, Jr.

Ms. Michelle Langlois

Mr. Christopher Larsen

Mr. and Mrs. Edward P. Lawrence

Mr. and Mrs. Peter D. Lee

Ms. Sherry A. Lefevre

Ms. Priscilla P. Lentowski

Dr. and Mrs. Keith M. Lindgren

Mrs. Byron Lingeman

Mr. and Mrs. John F. Lochtefeld

Mr. and Mrs. George R. Mrkonic, Jr.

The Honorable and Mrs. R. James Nicholson

Mr. and Mrs. David Northrup

Mr. and Mrs. Al Novissimo, Novation Media

Mr. and Mrs. G. Philip Nowak

Dr. Eileen Ouellette

Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Paduch

Mr. Joseph R. Paul

Mr. and Mrs. Richard S. Phelan

Mr. and Mrs. Nathaniel Philbrick

Mr. and Mrs. J. Scott Pidcock

Ms. Kristene Pierce

Mr. and Mrs. James W. Pierson

Dr.William Porter and Ms. Peggy Davis

Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence E. Putterman

Ms. Alison Potts and Mr. Mark T. Groenstein

Ms. Lisa Quattrocci, Edward H. Benenson Foundation

The Racemaker Charitable Fund

Mr. and Mrs. Philip W. Read

Ms. Susan L. Renzulli

Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy P. Richardson

Mr. Colin Riendeau

Ms. Katherine M. Logue and Mr. Jonathan Nyland

Mr. and Mrs. Mark Lopez

Mr. and Mrs. Brandon W. Lower

Mr. Richard W. Lowry

Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey P. Lucier

Ms. Mary-Adair Macaire

Ms. Marilee B. Matteson

Mr. Michael May and Mr. Housley Carr

Mr. Gary McBournie and Mr.William J. Richards

Mr. and Mrs. Edward McCarthy

Mr. and Mrs. Peter McCausland

Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin M. McGrath

Mr. and Mrs. Eugene G. McGuire

Mr. and Mrs. Martin McKerrow

Mr. James Meehan and Ms. Patricia White

Mr. Jason L. Michel

Mrs. Polly Millard

Mr. and Mrs.William C. Miller

Mr. and Mrs. Earl B. Mix

Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Moore, Jr.

Mr. and Mrs. J. Barton Riley

Mr. and Mrs. George E. Roach

Ms. Janet L. Robinson

Ms. Elizabeth F. Rosenman

Ellen and David Ross

Mr. and Mrs. Douglas H. Rutherford

Ms. Linda L. Saligman

Mr. and Mrs. Luke Salisbury

Mr. and Mrs. John D. Sayer

Mr. and Mrs. Cary M. Schwartz

Ms. Sara G. Schwartz and Mr.William E. Hannum, III

Mrs. Nancy Tower Scott

Mr. J. Douglas Self, Jr.

Mr. and Mrs. Donald Shockey

Mr. and Mrs. J. Robinson West

Mr. and Mrs. James W. Simpson

Dr. and Mrs. Robert Stanton

Mr. Peter C. Steingraber

Mr. and Mrs. Harris Stone

Mr. and Mrs. Jordan M. Stone

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Swanson

Mr. and Mrs. Greg Swart

Mr. and Mrs. Michael J. Sweeney

Mrs. Edward Symes

Mr. Cameron L.Texter and Ms. Devon White

Ms. Gloria Jarecki

Mr. and Mrs. Richard G.Verney

Mr. Dexter Blackwell

Mr. and Mrs. Geoffrey Tolsdorf

Ms. Anne W. Troutman and Mr. Aleks Istanbullu

Mrs. Jane Tyler

Mr. George N.Vasvatekis

Mr. and Mrs. Robert I.Veghte

Mr. and Mrs. E. Geoffrey Verney

Ms. Lynda Vickers-Smith

Ms. Suellen Ward and Mr. John H. Copenhaver

Ms. Maryann Wasik

Mrs. Cynthia H.Webber

Mr. and Mrs. Douglas D.Wheat

Mr. and Mrs. F. Brand Whitlock

Mr. and Mrs. Edward I.Wight

Mr. and Mrs. Jay M.Wilson

Mr. and Mrs. David S.Wolff

Drs. Robert A. and Elaine E.Yordan

*Every effort was made to ensure the above and following lists are complete and accurate. If an error of omission was made at press time, please don’t hesitate to let us know by emailing us at info@nantucketpreservation.org. Thank you.

Deceased

general Members

Ms. Joan P. Albaugh

Ms. Karen Maeda Allman and Ms. Elizabeth Wales

American Endowment Foundation

Mr. and Mrs. Pennel C. Ames

Mr. and Mrs. Frank H. Anderson

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas W. Austin, III

Ms. Helen Joan Badie

Mr. and Mrs. David S. Bailey

Mr. Robert Selfridge Bailey, Jr

Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Bailey

VADM and Mrs. John A. Baldwin, USN (RET)

Ms. Carolyn R. Barg

Ms. Jennifer Barker

Mr. Curtis L. Barnes

Mr. and Mrs. William H. Barney, III

Mr. and Mrs. C. Marshall Beale

Mr. and Mrs. David Beardsley

Mr. and Mrs. John D. Bennett

Ms. Judith C. Blume

Ms. Ann P. Bond

The Boston Foundation

Mr. and Mrs. Solomon Boucai

Ms. Jane Bourette

Mr. Steven L. Boynton

Mr. and Mrs. Richard W. Durkes

Ms. Ann G. Ellicott

Ms. Marsha Fader

Mr. and Mrs. Matthew G. Fee

Mr. Robert D. Felch

Mr. and Mrs. Edward J. Ference-Gray

Prof. J. Scott Finn and Mr. Charles Caldwell

Ms. Ingrid Francis

Mr. and Mrs. William M. Folberth, III

Mr. J. Pepper Frazier, II

Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Fremont-Smith

Mr. Roland M. Frye, Jr. and Ms. Susan M. Pettey

Drs. Margaret B. and John N. Goldman

Ms. Lisa Grady

Mr. Richard N. Gray and Ms. Joanne T. Lawrence

Ms. Victoria A. Greenhood and Mr. Robert B. Remar

Mr. and Mrs. John M. Groff

Mr. and Mrs. Philip G. Gulley

Mr. and Mrs. Roy C. Gustaveson

Ms. Ellen H. Hakes

Ms. Barbara Halsted

Mr. and Mrs. Jay M. Hammer

Dr. Marcia J. Browne and Dr. Jeffrey W. Clarke

Mr. and Mrs. James Buckman

Ms. Susan P. Burke

Mr. and Mrs. Steven Bush

Mrs. Martha H. Butler

Ms. Peggy Capone Butler

Dr. and Mrs. George P. Butterworth

Mr. Charles Byrne and Ms. Ellen Mitchell

Mrs. Susan H. Cavanaugh

Mrs. Eugene Collatz

Ms. Marion Roland Conley

Mr. and Mrs. James H. Cook

Mr. and Mrs. J. Andrew Cowherd

Mr. and Mrs. Gary Creem

Mr. Richard C. Crisson and Mr. Rod O’Hanley

Mr. Timothy G. Crowley

Mr. Chris Dallmus

Mr. and Mrs. Kell M. Damsgaard

Mrs. Sheila B. Daume

Ms. Alice I. Davies

Mr. Patrick Guthrie

Mr. and Mrs. David S. Deutsch

Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Dolan

Ms. Cary M. Hazlegrove

Dr. and Mrs. Joseph M. Helms

Mr. Joseph P. Helyar

Herbert D. Condie Jr. Family Foundation

Mr. and Mrs. Mason C. Heydt

Ms. Elizabeth K. Hillger

Mrs. Christopher F. Holland

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Irwin

Mr. and Mrs. Peter Jennison

Ms. Barbara Ann Joyce

Ms. Diane H. Karper

Ms. Kerry Kennedy Flynn

Mr. Daniel L. Korengold and Ms. Martha Lyn Dippell

Ms. Denice M. Kronau

Ms. Kathryn Kubie and Mr. William Winkler

Mr. Allan LaFrance and Ms. Mary C. Walsh

Mr. Dana E. Landry and Mr. William F. X. Landry

Mrs. John G. Lathrop

Ms. Kathie Legg

Mr. and Mrs. Larry Levine

Mr. and Mrs. Peter Lewis

Ms. Leslie Linsley-Aron

Ms. Cheryl Lockwood

Mr. Andrew M Logan

Mr. and Mrs. Frank A. Lorenzo

Mr. and Mrs. William R. Lothian

Mr. and Mrs. Brandon W. Lower

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas P. Lowy

Ms. Paula McLeod and Mr. Jamie Pfaff

Mr. and Mrs. Edwin B. Mahoney

Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Maier

Mr. and Mrs. James M. Marinelli

Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. McGill, III

Ms. Julie Meade

Mr. and Mrs. R. Alan Medaugh

Ms. Cristin D. Merck

Mr. and Mrs. Richardson T. Merriman

Mr. and Mrs. Edward J. Metcalf

Mr. Hal Miller

Mr. and Mrs. Herbert B. Mittenthal

Ms. Suzanne Montgomery

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas M. Montgomery

Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Moore, Jr.

Mr. Ben Moore

Mr. and Mrs. John W. Morris

Mr. and Mrs. W. Christopher Mortenson

Mr. and Mrs. Craig A. Negri

Ms. Kelley Noonan

Mr. and Mrs. Richard E. Nopper, Jr.

Mr. and Mrs. Harry M. Ostrander

Mrs. Mary Alyce Pardo

Ms. Nancy L. Pasley

Mr. and Mrs. Robert S. Perlman

Mr. Brian R. Pfeiffer

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Pinto

Mr. and Mrs. Elliott Pollack

Ms. Cynthia Porrini

Mr. David A. Pumphrey

Dr. and Mrs. Frank Rand

Ms. Carla Ray

Dr. Shirley F. Rayport

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Raysman

Mr. and Mrs. Trevor S. Ricards

Ms. Tara Roberts

Ms. Janet L. Robinson

Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Rose

Ms. Bonnie Roseman

Mr. and Mrs. John S. Ross

Mr. J. Wood Rutter

Mrs. Bonnie J. Sacerdote

Mr. and Mrs. John D. Schaperkotter

Mr. and Mrs. Mark E. Schwarzman

Ms. Kathryn K. Sheehan

Mr. and Mrs. Ross Silverstein

Mr. and Mrs. H. Brooks Smith

Ms. Penny F. Snow

Mr. and Mrs. Stephen L. Snow

Dr. and Mrs. Robert Stanton

Ms. Danielle I. Strong

Mr. Jonathan C. Swain

Ms. Ann R. Teasdale

Mr. and Mrs. W. David Troast

Mr. and Mrs. Bobby Tudor

Mr. and Mrs. James G. Tyler

Ms. Clara Urbahn

Ms. Pamela Van Hoven Clark

Mr. and Mrs. Robert von Zumbusch

Ms. Kimberly K. Walin

Mr. and Mrs. A. Charles Walters

Ms. Emma H. Ward

Mr. and Mrs. David Webber

Mr. Todd K. West

Mrs. Barbara C. White

Mr. and Mrs. John R. Whitney

Mr. and Mrs. Harvey S. Young

Ms. Jill Wolfe

Ms. Konstantina Zaras

† Deceased

Please Note: NPT Annual Membership gifts are recognized on a 15-month cycle, including membership renewal gifts from the last quarter of the prior calendar year. Every effort was made to ensure the above and following lists are complete and accurate. If an error of omission was made, please don’t hesitate to let us know by emailing us at info@nantucketpreservation.org.

Thank you.

in honor of

Mr. Robert Selfridge Bailey, Jr. in honor of Rich Merriman

Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey L. Besecker in honor of Craig Muhlhauser

Mr. and Mrs. William C. Miller in honor of Caroline Ellis in memoriam gifts

Dr. Meghan E. Ahern in memory of Dr. Martha Praught

Ms. Christine Diane Carpenter in memory of Patrica DuPont

Mr. and Mrs. J. Andrew Cowherd in memory of Ron Neumunz

Ms. Rachel Grider in memory of Jaqueline Kupper

Mr. and Mrs. Christian M. Hoffman in memory of Michelle Elzay

Mrs. Phyllis Kessler in memory of Cade Beach

Ms. Priscilla P. Lentowski in memory of Jim Lentowski

Ms. Michelle Whelan in memory of Michelle Elzay

Grant Funders

ReMain Nantucket

business sponsors & event Underwriters

ACKtivities

Carolyn Thayer Interiors

Dujardin Design Associates, Inc.

Melanie Gowen

Gryphon Architecture

Kathleen Hay Designs

M. Sweeney Construction, Inc.

Marine Home Center

Nantucket Looms

New England Home

PURE Insurance & Nantucket Insurance

The Scout Guide Nantucket

Silvercrest Asset Management

TownPool

Weatherly Design, LLC

Visual Comfort

event leaders

Mr. and Mrs. Doug Abbey

Mr. and Mrs. Alan F. Airth

Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Atkinson

Mr. and Mrs. David S. Bailey

Ms. Mary R. Ballinger

The Margaret Ritchie R. Battle Family Charitable Fund

Mr. and Mrs. Edward Bousa

Mrs. Nina Bransfield

Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Bratton

Mr. and Mrs. David S. J. Brown

Mrs. William C. Buck

Mr. John B. Carroll

Mr. and Mrs. G. David Cheek

Mr. and Mrs. Anthony A. Clifton

Ms. Susan M. Cosper and Mr. Brian Bartlett

Ms. Amanda B. Cross

Mr. and Mrs. Wayne F. Davies

Ms. Anne Delaney and Mr. Calvin Carver, Jr.

Mr. and Mrs. Bradford Dimeo

Ms. Dorinda Dodge

Mr. Harvey P. Eisen and Ms. Andrea Herron

Mr. and Mrs. Douglass N. Ellis, Jr.

Mr. and Mrs. Mark Filipski

Mr. and Mrs. Johan F. Firmenich

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Friedman

Mr. and Mrs. Dean Graham

Ms. Susan Zises Green

Mr. and Mrs. Richard T. Grote

Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Haines

Mr. and Mrs. Charles M. Hale

Mr. and Mrs. Robert T. Hay

Mr. and Mrs. Christian M. Hoffman

Dr. Douglas Horst and Ms. Maureen Phillips

Mr. and Mrs. Amos B. Hostetter, Jr.

Johnson & Johnson Fdt., Matching Gifts Program

Mr. Jon M. King and Mr. John H. Ehrlich

Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Kinsley

Mr. Daniel Lyn Korengold and Ms. Martha Lyn Dippell

Mrs. Seymour Mandell

Mr. and Mrs. Martin McKerrow

Ms. Sarah Noelle McLane and Mr. Jerald L. Pullins

Mr. Albert S. Messina and Mr. Ken Jennings

Mr. and Mrs. William M. Moore

Mr. and Mrs. Craig H. Muhlhauser

Ms. Anne MacLennan Perkins

Ms. Diane Pitt and Mr. Mitch Karlin

Mr. and Mrs. Mark T. Groenstein

Mrs. Ella Wall Prichard

Ms. Hillary C. Hedges and Mr. Jeffrey F. Rayport

Mr. and Mrs. Philip W. Read

Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy P. Richardson

Mr. and Mrs. George E. Roach

Mr. and Mrs. John S. Ross

Mrs. Bonnie J. Sacerdote

Ms. Linda L. Saligman

Mr. and Mrs. John D. Sayer

Ms. Jane Schnitzer

Mr. and Mrs. Bruce A. Shear

Mr. and Mrs. J. Robinson West

Mr. and Mrs. Donald Shockey

Mr. and Mrs. David Joel Spitler

Mr. Peter C. Steingraber

Mr. and Mrs. Harris Stone

Mr. and Mrs. Paul R C Sullivan

Mr. and Mrs. John Sussek, Jr.

Mr. and Mrs. Greg Swart

Mrs. Merrielou H. Symes

Ms. Carolyn Thayer

Ms. Courtney A. Thorne

Mr. and Mrs. F. Brand Whitlock

Mr. and Mrs. David S. Wolff

Mr. and Mrs. Jacques Wullschleger

Mr. and Mrs. P. Rhoads Zimmerman

Mr. Michael A. Kovner and Mr. Jean Doyen de Montaillou

Mrs. John G. Lathrop

Dr. and Mrs. Keith M. Lindgren

Ms. Katherine M. Logue and Mr. Jonathan Nyland

Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Maffeo

COMMITTEE MEMBERS & VOLUNTEERS

Diane Asche

Mary-Randolph Ballinger

Gussie Beaugrand

Craig Beni

Susan Boardman

Paulette Boling

Lexi Bufalino

Hayley Cooke

Alyssa Corry

Beth Davies

Hailey Doherty

Trudy Dujardin

John Ehrlich

Caroline Ellis

Marsha Fader

Jascin Leonardo Finger

Leslie Forbes

Michael Gault

Aisling Glynn

Melanie Gowen

Susan Zises Green

Suzy Grote

Victoria Hagan

Barbara Halsted

Rene Hanan

Janie Hobson-Dupont

Julie Jordin

Jon King

Carol Kinsley

Katie Kubie

Robin Leed

Meghan Luksic

Angus MacLeod

Ann Martindale

Joanne Morgan

Brigid O’Riordan

Camden Palm

Christina Petty

Kristina Phillips

Ella Wall Prichard

Susan Renzuli

Mickey Rowland

Christine Sanford

Ann Swart

Michael Sweeney

Anne Troutman

Cathy Ward

Paula Williams

Emma Young

nantucket preservation trust

Statement of Activities for 2021 and 2022

become a member

Become a Member of the NPT

The Nantucket Preservation Trust is a nonprofit, membershipsupported organization formed in 1997 whose members are dedicated to the preservation of the island’s historic architecture.

Membership Form

Name:

Email:_

Address: Summer Address:

State, Zip Dates at Summer Address:

Tel: ( )

Local Tel: ( )_

□ I want to learn about NPT volunteer opportunities.

sense of place society

Sense of Place Society members receive special invitations to tours and events, and acknowledgement in NPT’s Ramblings.

Name (as you would like it to appear in print):

_____$5,000 _____$2,500

leadership

Leadership level members receive acknowledgement in NPT’s annual publication Ramblings.

Student Membership (valid with Student ID)

_____ Enclosed is a check made payable to the NANTUCKET PRESERVATION TRUST

______ Charge my Visa/MC/Amex #_ Exp in the amount of $_ Name on Card

______ 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

Note End

“Tearing down a building is not a casual affair on Nantucket. Rather, it is an option of last resort, and one for which approval is often an arduous process.What might, to an owner, appear to be a purely private matter grows in possible ramifications on Nantucket: Plucking out a single building may cut a noticeable—and irretrievable—hole in the historic fabric of the island’s architecture.”

Building with Nantucket in Mind, the guidebook of the Nantucket Historic District Commission

In March of this year, Meridian Cottage, a circa 1955 cottage on Swain’s Wharf (formerly Commercial Wharf) was demolished after a 3–2 vote by the Historic District Commission. The vernacular broken back saltbox cottage was constructed for Eben Hutchinson Jr., and June P. Hutchinson, who owned the wharf. In May 1956, the Hutchinsons began advertising the cottage for rent, along with others they owned in Quaise and ’Sconset. This marks an important shift in the development of Nantucket’s mid-century resort economy. Previously, the waterfront had been Nantucket’s industrial “back yard.” For 67 years, this cottage had been part of the viewshed along Commercial Wharf and the waterfront. (You can read more about the demolition in Lost,Threatened, and Saved on page 13.)

Why was this cottage allowed to be demolished? Some HDC commissioners cited the building’s condition as a contributing factor. Years of proximity to the ocean took its toll on the cottage. But condition is separate from integrity. The National Park Service cites seven aspects of historic integrity: location, setting, design, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association.

If the condition of the cottage was of concern, the HDC could have required maintenance under the minimum maintenance bylaw, adopted at the 2004 Annual Town Meeting. The HDC has the power, and the responsibility, to ensure that property owners are taking the minimum steps necessary to prevent the deterioration of structure contributing to the Nantucket Historic District. Maintenance is preservation.

The demolition of Merdian Cottage is an instance of demolition by neglect, but not in the traditional sense of the phrase. The Historic District Commission neglected to consider historical information about the building’s connection to a significant epoch in Nantucket’s history.

npt