Seaside Architecture which Inspires

Nothing says summer is here in the Northeast like the hot sun, the humidity and our desire to escape to the seaside.  Nothing evokes New England seaside architecture more than Nantucket, “The Grey Lady”.

“The little sandy island of Nantucket peeps forth from the Atlantic Ocean. “- Herman Melville, Moby Dick

 

 

Nantucket is that historical island approximately 30 miles off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.  What is most interesting is that Nantucket has been able to preserve its vernacular style continuously from its origin to today in a way that no other region of the United States has been able to retain.  Like most vernacular architecture, the shingle style of Nantucket was shaped by its geographical location, its climate and the religion and skillset of her early inhabitants.

 

 

Nantucket’s summer climate is cool and humid, but winters are cold with extreme high velocity winds.

With no natural protection from this wind, buildings had to be snug and air tight.  Overlapping cedar shingles provided this protection, and all corners and openings were sealed with wide trim.  The roofs were built steep for the occasional snow, but without an overhang to let the winter sun shine inside.

 

Steep Roof Lines

Nantucket has no natural building materials and, as an island, all materials had to be shipped there.  Wood, abundant on the mainland and easily transportable, was the natural choice for the structure of the homes and other buildings.  The expense of importing new materials was always a consideration for the thrifty Quaker inhabitants, so buildings were seldom destroyed.  Buildings were dismantled and moved, or reused in new construction.   Hence the preservation of the wood shingle construction throughout Nantucket’s history prevailed.

 

“Pieces of wood in Nantucket are carried about like bits of the true cross in Rome”- Herman Melville, Moby Dick

    

Moreover, it is the inhabitants of Nantucket that must be credited for the construction and preservation of this truly American vernacular style.  As the early whaling capital of the world, Nantucket was populated with master shipbuilders and carpenters, but few professional architects or craftsmen.  These shipbuilders knew about balance, symmetry and compactness in design.  This is also how they designed and constructed their homes.   As most of the population was also Quaker, superficial ornamentation was frowned upon and only functionality prevailed.  Even when new styles were emerging in the colonies, the residents of Nantucket spurned these ideas from “outsiders”.

 

All these factors have led to the simple, balanced and wonderfully crafted seaside cottage indigenous to Nantucket.  

Colleen Brogan, RA