ALTERATIONS

We have a precious inheritance in this large group of old houses. Every effort should be made to keep from harming them when making changes, and to keep from building dissimilar types of new houses in the old built-up sections. There is ample room outside of the old districts or elsewhere on the Island for those who determine to build a place of modern appearance. Yet one can ride a hobby too hard. The complete purist is often impracticable. One living in an old house wants to be comfortable and to have adequate space. There is hardly an old house in town which has not on its visible exterior—at least somewhere on its four sides—the marks of modernizing as made by succeeding generations. Fortunately the fronts as a rule have been but little marred.

Nantucket can be kept “95% perfect” only by not adding to the visible detractions on its old houses, and by not building new types amidst the old. Thus this priceless inheritance will be preserved—and incidentally the values increased—as such houses become less and less procurable here and elsewhere. We even venture to hope some of the present detractions will be removed as time goes on.

So far as more room and modern comforts are concerned, an architect or builder knowing his old Nantucket can usually plan to provide them in “doing over” an old house and still not harm its exterior. But all hope is lost if the roof lines are spoiled by large shed-roof dormers or a dormer room, and only less disfiguring are large “sun parlors,” piazzas, exterior chimneys, or flat roofed ells or projections, built where visible from the front.

To bring home what we mean—imagine that a conflagration sweeps this town and destroys it. The land would remain, the climate, sea bathing, sailing, outdoor and indoor sports, and the moors. Inevitably, however, a part, probably a small part, would be built up anew and there could be no possible control of the styles. We would then have a small village like any other modern one along the Atlantic seaboard, entirely devoid of quaintness, charm or interest. Nantucket would then be in its second decline, perhaps just as severe as after the end of the whaling.