Nantucket Historic District

Coordinates: 41°16′59.61″N 70°05′51.29″W / 41.2832250°N 70.0975806°W / 41.2832250; -70.0975806
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Nantucket Historic District
Nantucket, Massachusetts
Area30,000 acres (12,000 ha)
Built1686 to 1849
NRHP reference No.66000772 [1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPDecember 13, 1966
Designated NHLDNovember 13, 1966
The Old Mill in 1935
Historic cottages in Siasconset
Second Congregational Meeting House (1809) (now the Unitarian Universalist Church)
Nantucket Atheneum

The Nantucket Historic District is a

Nantucket, Massachusetts. The original December 13, 1966 listing on the National Register of Historic Places included only the historic downtown core and the village of Siasconset, but was expanded in 1975 to include the entire island, as well as the islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget.[2] At over 30,000 acres, it is the largest conventional historic National Historic Landmark District by area in the contiguous United States
.

Much of the district was originally designated as a

Vieux Carre Historic District in New Orleans, and the Old and Historic Alexandria District in Alexandria, Virginia. Since 1955, the Nantucket Historic District Commission has been the governing authority charged with overseeing the island's preservation.[3][4]

History

Nantucket is a uniquely preserved

Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard. Another blow came in 1846, when a great fire destroyed much of the town's commercial center and wharves. By the end of the 19th century, when much of the country was experiencing dramatic growth, Nantucket's population had fallen to just 3,000. Thus, the existence of Nantucket's historic buildings is largely due to the island being forgotten for more than half a century, as its architecture survived through neglect. In 1894, the first preservation efforts on Nantucket occurred with a campaign to save the "Old Mill", a 1746 windmill built by Nathan Wilbur. In 1897, the mill was purchased at auction and donated to the Nantucket Historical Association.[5] During this period, new construction began to reflect the island's historic character.[6]

The oldest buildings within the historic district date from the late 17th century. Built mostly of wood, they are utilitarian in style with little ornamentation or detail. In the period that followed the

Greek Revival style of the 1840s.[8]

It was not until the 1990s that Nantucket's population surpassed its 1840 peak of 9,000. The island's economy is now mostly based on seasonal tourism, which has put increased pressure on its historic properties. In 2000, the National Trust for Historic Preservation placed Nantucket on its 2000 list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, noting that 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."[9]

Contributing properties

A partial list of

contributing properties
within the Nantucket Historic District includes:

See also

References

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. ^ Nantucket’s National Historic Landmark Update Gains Advisory Committee Approval
  3. ^ The Nantucket Historic District Commission : An Overview
  4. ^ Historic District Commission
  5. ^ a b The Old Mill
  6. ^ Nantucket Preservation Overview
  7. ^ National Park Service - Maritime History of Massachusetts
  8. ^ Nantucket Preservation Trust - Greek Revival Architecture
  9. ^ National Park Service - Nantucket Historic District Archived 2014-09-24 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ The Old Gaol 15R Vestal Street
  11. ^ MHC Inventory Form
  12. ^ The Island’s Unique Library
  13. ^ Parish History
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nantucket.

41°16′59.61″N 70°05′51.29″W / 41.2832250°N 70.0975806°W / 41.2832250; -70.0975806

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