2nd Place, Residential
The home at 27 N. Liberty Street in Nantucket, Mass., was constructed from a cooper shed (circa 1780) by Seth Ray, a cooper, when he purchased the land around 1798. Ray added a small living quarters in the rear of the cooper shed. From the mid-1700s to the 1850s, Nantucket was the “whaling capital of the world” and was one of the wealthiest communities in America. As a cooper, Ray made barrels to store the whale oil on the whale ships returning to Nantucket. Eventually, the shop was sold and became a full-time residence and, as the years passed, new owners made additions and changed the building’s materials to suit their own living styles.
In 1976, the building received the Nantucket Historical Association Building Survey plaque. The landmark was listed in the state and national registers of historic places, as well as located within a local historic district administered by the Nantucket Historic District Commission (HDC). However, in 2021, the HDC approved additions for the second floor, rear and sides of the home; removal of historic windows; as well as a full-gut of the interior. Had this approval been executed, a substantial portion of the historic integrity of the house would have been lost.
Kolb Architects retained the existing structure as-is, adding two small additions—a rear bathroom over what had been an existing shed and single-story side addition for a bathroom and laundry. 
Located within a historic district, the house received the Nantucket Historical Association Building Survey plaque in 1976 and is listed in the state and national registers of historic places. 
The kitchen and bathrooms were carefully integrated with the historic character of the house, reflecting change over time. Even furnishings for the home were sourced from salvage. 
The existing 1800s windows were removed, re- stored, reglazed as required, and original wavy seeded glass was reinstalled with new pulleys, ropes and coun- terweights. 
An energy-efficient high-velocity mechanical system was installed with the least intrusion to the historic details. Grilles are flush with the floor and finished with the floor finish. 
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BEFORE: The main 8- by 8-inch corner post had been roughly shaped by hand. 
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PHOTOS: Michele Kolb
Instead, Michele Kolb, principal of Kolb Architects LLC, purchased the 1,871-square-foot home in August 2023. Because sustainability and preservation are at the core of Kolb Architects’ philosophy, Kolb’s goal was to retain as much historic fabric as possible while undertaking a full historic restoration of the property. “Old houses have souls that reveal the past and keep changing along with the inhabitants within them,” Kolb says. “When we protect the past, we allow it to inform and inspire the present.”
Preservation Philosophy
Kolb Architects refiled the project with the HDC to retain the existing structure as-is, retaining and restoring the existing windows and adding two small additions—a rear bathroom over what had been an existing shed and single-story side addition for a bathroom and laundry. The additions did not interfere with the original post-and-beam structure.
Construction and renovation began in September 2023, and Kolb Architects soon discovered the historically significant building was in dire need of restoration and preservation. For example, areas of the original cooper shed post-and-beam structure had to be stabilized with additional support timbers.
Kolb and team followed the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, Restoration. “In historic preservation, ‘do no harm’ is a guiding principle that means any work undertaken on a historic building should not damage, obscure or diminish its original materials, craftsmanship or historic significance, either now or in the future,” Kolb notes.
Therefore, one of the primary goals in the restoration was to avoid as much deconstruction as possible, thereby minimally adding to the landfill. In fact, most new materials were sourced from salvage.
Every attempt was made to retain, restore and reuse the historic fabric of the building with historic accuracy and with authenticity for historic materials. For example, existing lime plaster on the intact walls was retained and new lime plaster added where needed. Finding skilled plasterers was a feat, Kolb says: “There are skilled craftsmen who work in compound, but lime plasterers require knowledge with the mixing of the lime plaster and application.”
The existing 1800s windows were removed, restored, reglazed as required, and original wavy seeded glass was retained and reinstalled with new pulleys, ropes and counterweights to provide historically accurate operating windows. Outer storm windows are applied for insulation in the winter, which resulted in passing the blower-test as required.
All existing doors were sanded, filled and painted, and transoms were reglazed as required. Where needed, salvaged doors were used to match existing doors. Hardware was removed, soaked in a crock pot for hours so residual paint could be removed, and a gun-metal finish was applied before reinstalling. Light switches are reminiscent of vintage push-button switches.
The circa-1780 brick flue, originally pointed with lime and clay, still is located in the rear bedroom; it was repointed with lime mortar. Kolb says concrete is never used because it is harder than brick and will lead to deterioration of the brick. Meanwhile, the cooper shop’s beams and the 1800s roof addition have been whitewashed and remain exposed in the kitchen and dining room. The house’s original stairs and balusters were retained with all the beautiful imperfections of wear.
When the sheetrock ceiling was removed in the living room, the team found a strange construction technique: The main 8- by 8-inch corner post had been roughly shaped by hand, typically using tools like an adze, drawknife, chisel or gouge, so a square plaster corner could be made. Irregular facets or gouge marks from the hand tools were visible. At the time this section of the house was built (~1800), fashion dictated not showing old timber-frame construction. While studying the framing, a scarf joint was visible, as well as timber graffiti markings, indicating a stacking count or numbering. A like-kind timber was scarfed-on to resemble what would have originally been in place.
During exposure of this ceiling, the team noticed the second floor’s sub-floor was made of original rough-sawn pine planks that still contained bark and live edges. These original floors were restored and refinished. A portion of the entry and side room’s 1930 fir flooring was removed, given away and reclaimed 1800s pine plank flooring—15-inches wide by 20-feet long—was found in an attic on the island and installed. “This was a stroke of luck,” Kolb recalls. “It was sourced by word-of-mouth from an on-island builder.”
An energy-efficient high-velocity mechanical system was installed with the least intrusion to the historic details. Grilles are flush with the floor and finished with the floor finish. New electrical and plumbing were added. The kitchen and bathrooms were carefully integrated with the historic character of the house, reflecting change over time. Even furnishings for the home were sourced from salvage.
Restoration Methodology
The restoration was completed in May 2024. By bringing together a team of expert consultants in post-and-beam framing, materials application and structural design, Kolb ensured the highest level of concern for the historic significance of the house.
“It is important to resist your first inclination to tear [houses like this] down. Quiet observation is helpful to digest what you are looking at with the main preservation mandate and objective to ‘do no harm’,” Kolb says. “When a restoration honors authenticity, protects irreplaceable materials, maintains the building’s long-term health and allows future generations to continue stewardship, you have a very successful project. This is reflected in the current use of the house as a seasonal rental where tenants choose to experience a sense of history and current-day living. The building holds enough historical and cultural value to merit thoughtful intervention, allowing it to bear a new layer of history while continuing its story into the future.”
Judge’s Comment
This project is a shining example of how historic best practices can persevere when the easier path is to replace historic fabric or full demolition. The result shows the level of care put into the various details and assemblies.”
Andrew C. Smith, AIA, principal, Hennebery Eddy Architects
Retrofit Team
Owner/Architect: Kolb Architects LLC
General Contractor, Framer, Finish Work: Duane Minto, (508) 901-3619
Plasterer and Landscaping: Charlie Johnson Winsbert, (508) 364-7314
Floor Refinisher: Erick Flooring and Tile Installation
Mechanical: Tyler HVAC
Plumbing: CJ Mulvey Plumbing, (508) 735-9953
Electrical: Alex Laskel, (508) 901-1525
Timber Framing: King Post Preservation, (508) 680-4490
Structural Consultant: Concise Design Group
Materials
Lime Plaster: Ecologic Takcoat and Ecologic Plaster Topcoat, Extra-fine, from Lime Works US
High-velocity Heating and Cooling: SpacePak
White-oak Grilles: Reggio Registers
Push-button Switches and Dimmers: Classic Accents Inc.
Tile: Zia Tile
Window Locks: LK381 from Phelps Company
Hardware: House of Antique Hardware