What You Can Do
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11 Most Endangered
Nantucket
Year Listed: 2000
Location: , Massachusetts
Current Status: Endangered
Threat: Development
Absalom Boston House in Nantucket, Massachusetts. The house was once owned by Nantucket’s only known black whale ship captain. Nantucket, Massachusetts was on the list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places in the year 2000.
Credit: Nantucket Preservation Trust
Significance
This small island, about 30 miles off the southern coast of Cape Cod, has a year-round population of about 9,000 people, and a summer population of more than 50,000. The American whaling industry originated in the 17th century on Nantucket, which is now the finest surviving architectural and environmental example of a late 18th and early 19th century New England seaport town. Its late 19th and early 20th century resort-era architecture is exceptional, and its significant historic resources exist in a setting that remains unchanged. The island is on the National Register of Historic Places and is designated as a National Historic Landmark.
Updates
While Nantucket has a long history of commitment to preservation, an upsurge in the destructive practices of "teardowns" and "gut rehabs," along with the inappropriate sizing and siting of new homes, are dramatically altering the heritage, cultural landscape and quality of community life on the island. "Teardown" refers to the practice of demolishing an older building in order to replace it with a new, larger structure that often is completely out of scale with the relatively modest historic buildings for which the island is famous. A "gut rehab" is a rehabilitation project in which the interior of a historic building - including walls and floors as well as mantels and doorframes - is stripped out and replaced with new finishes, fixtures and room arrangements that may bear no relation to the original structure.
Change may be inevitable, even in a place like Nantucket, but good planning and strong commitment to preservation are essential to managing change and growth. Nantucket's preservation regulations should be reviewed to ensure they adequately address harmful practices such as teardowns and gut rehabs. Once needed revisions are in place, the regulations must be enforced consistently and fairly. Efforts to protect historic interiors should be stepped up as well; newcomers must be helped to understand that "buying a piece of Nantucket" means respecting the architectural traditions that make the island appealing and unique.
In 2003, 16 Nantucket preservation organizations formed the Nantucket Preservation Trust to educate homeowners as to what is historic or not, take political positions on preservation issues, and to educate the public through publications. Although this has taken place, historic buildings are still being threatened. Most threats are in the form of complete interior gut rehabs and not tear downs. There's also pressure to build out lots, which is decreasing the amount of open space. Since the listing, there has been increased public awareness and more preservation easements have been taken to prevent gut rehabs.
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