17 North Beach Street
Nantucket, MA 02554
(508) 228-1515
SALVAGE NANTUCKET
Preservation from the inside out.
One of Nantucket’s greatest assets is the extraordinary preservation of our built environment—but what happens when modern trends and behaviors begin to erase the elements that we have left? According to Michele Kolb of Kolb Architects, this is exactly what’s beginning to happen when it comes to the historic homes on the island. “This accelerated demolition that’s happening here really has to stop,” she says of the constant construction that’s seemingly resulting in new homes every season.
According to the Historic District Commission’s design guidelines, the island holds “one of the best intact collections of late 17th- to mid-19th century buildings in the United States. More than 150 years of maritime community are represented here by the almost 800 buildings built before the Civil War that are still lived in and used today.”
“These endangered houses are like endangered species,” says Kolb, who has a Master of Design in historic preservation from the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design.
With each of her projects, she takes a retain, recover and restyle approach, which can be seen in one of her recent projects at 2 Cabot Lane. Tucked off of Cliff Road, the Victorian home was built in 1855. On this property, she was not only able to salvage characteristics like original floors, paneling, plaster walls, molding, trim, ceiling medallions and more, but also reduced her carbon footprint by sourcing all of the furniture and décor from local yard sales and consignment and thrift shops.
Keeping the integrity of the original structure, Kolb also chose to double the width of an opening between a sunroom and the kitchen. By doing so, she increased visibility and ease of access between rooms, as well as adding more daylight in the kitchen. In all, the result valued the imperfections of the home all while bringing it up to current-day living. “The key when you go into these houses is to see what the client’s program is, help guide them to making the right decisions and satisfying the component of how they want to live without gutting these places,” she explains.
But in a world where the incessant need to have everything new grows by the minute, Kolb’s sustainable approach is rare. Take 30 India Street as an example. When it sold last April for $4.39 million, the historic interior of the home from 1840 was intact. According to the architect, it has since been completely gutted and renovated.
Not only does this mark yet another part of the island’s history as lost, but according to Kolb, salvaging historic materials like molding, doors, paneling and porcelain knobs can save both the homeowner and the island time and money. She calculates that an average 2,000-square-foot home can equal about 111 tons of debris. At $372 per ton, this equates to about $40,000 in dump fees alone. She states that there’s about 17,000 tons of construction and demolition debris transported off the island annually. “Redirecting 25 percent or 4,500 tons at $372 per ton dump fee is $1.7 million in savings on dump fees and reduced landfill,” she explains. Kolb made these conclusions thanks to the 2022 Nantucket Building Material Salvage and Architectural Reuse Study by EBP Consulting.
But with this in mind, it still begs the question as to why these historic homes aren’t more protected on Nantucket from the start. The problem lies within a number of realms, the most important being an understanding of the actual responsibilities of the Historic District Commission. “The Nantucket HDC, like a lot of other historic districts in the country, only has jurisdiction on the exterior of a structure. We don’t get into the interior,” says Holly Backus, preservation planner at the HDC.
Backus adds that there is an option to apply for a preservation restriction through the Nantucket Preservation Trust, but that this relies directly on the homeowner. If accepted, the enactment protects the architectural integrity of the property and also restricts future alterations and uses.
Of note, about 25 homes and buildings are completely protected from the inside out through the nonprofit. This includes the Hadwen-Wright House, Thomas Starbuck House, Greater Light and George Gardner House.
In looking for more solutions that celebrate Nantucket’s tradition of reusing, it comes down to creativity and education. For Kolb, it’s the dream to open a salvage warehouse marketplace that would promote the preservation, salvage and reuse of the island’s valuable historic fabric. It would be her hope to find a 4,000- to 5,000-square-foot space where she could also promote education, host preservation expert lectures, hold classes in deconstruction and more.
For Backus, it can be as simple as a recent application from a Sconset homeowner who was requesting to move a garage off her property in order to bring in another structure from town that was built in the 1930s. “But what I really appreciate … is that even the garage that was original to the property was also going to be moved onto another property,” Backus says. “There was no demolition that was proposed, which was fantastic. For me, that was a win-win from a salvaging perspective.” Solutions like this also continue the island’s identity of moving structures—one that Backus says has been in existence for over 270 years.
In terms of education, the current offerings lie mainly with the Nantucket Association of Real Estate Brokers, which provides continuing education courses for members, including one that teaches real estate agents how to promote historic homes and their existing structures rather than idealizing the opportunity to demolish them and create something new.
But in all, there’s a common ground that must be reached: having respect for the island. “Those of us that live and breathe this every single day understand that Nantucket is more than just a name,” Backus explains. “When you’re buying a piece of Nantucket, you should respect that history.”
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