(Some) Houses of Nantucket

As promised in my last post (Doors of Nantucket) I thought I would share some of my favorite old houses I saw walking around the historic village of Nantucket last month.

I'm starting with some of the Inns - historic houses you can actually stay in! Above is 76 Main in the heart of Main Street surrounded by some of the most impressive houses on the island.

 Above is Roberts House with it's lovely front porch which is in the heart of historic downtown.

While technically not a house this charming brick Greek Revival structure must have started life as a school or church? It's currently being renovated but seems to be the headquarters for Nantucket Community Sailing according to googlemaps.

This charming shingle style house directly across the street was getting new shingles.  Great Oriel or bay window!

 Main street as I mentioned has some of the biggest and most impressive houses; all immaculately maintained and most of them painted white.

The side streets nearby are equally maintained but have small, although no less impressive, houses. This one appears to be a renovated garage perhaps? Loved the classical detailing to a relatively simple cottage.

While Nantucket is full of gorgeous gardens this one in particular on Main street just beside downtown caught my eye. The lovely tea houses frame the rear of the yard with doors to either side and a central trellis covering seating.

And on the other side of the yard a small private greenhouse.  The owner must really love gardening!

 The pediment front houses of Main street have all sorts of column styles -not sure which one to like best!

 These off center entries always work so well in plan.

 An interesting Gothic attic window, obviously a later addition to an earlier house, adds quirky charm to this simple structure.

 I believe this is actually an addition onto the adjacent Bank of America but notice the asymmetrical treatment of the exuberant windows and bays.

 I love how the shutter of the asymmetrical window above the door completes the shape.

 My favorite house architecturally, hands down, is the Greek Revival Levi Starbuck house from 1838.

 No relation to the coffee magnate (har, har), Levi Starbuck had the house built by William M Andrews and it stayed in the family until 1874. Originally the front entry had 4 Ionic Columns and the stairs faced Orange street instead of the side.  Two columns were removed from the porch at some point and are used inside the house and the stairs were orientated to the parking pad.

Read more about the house and see the restored plaster cornice in this article on the man who restored it in 2002 HERE.

The neighboring house also has a side entrance.  Two houses fronting one another rather than the street, there must be a story there.

 Where Main street meets Gardner and Milk Streets is a beautiful WWI memorial in a traffic circle.

For myself I love simple cottages like this shingle style above I think, if I had to chose one to live in.

Although a large white house on Main street never fails to impress.  Hope you enjoyed this small tour of Nantucket!

The front doors of historic Nantucket

Last month while traveling for my birthday I took a daytrip to historic Nantucket.

Sorting through the many snapshots on my phone I realized I had photographed practically every front door in town (well, not really!)

 As you can see I had a beautiful day for wandering around town pursuing my favorite hobby: looking at old houses!

Everything is immaculately restored (recreated perhaps?) and hours of fun oohing and aweing over the many houses and gardens was a fun way to pass time.

While some vivid color exists the primary colors are black, white, and weathered wood (if that can be called a color).

 The operating shutters on this pair of front door sidelights were fantastic.

 I nearly got caught by the resident enjoying her front yard in this hidden away gem!

My favorite house was the over-the-top fantastic Greek revival Levi Starbuck house seen above; but more on that in a later post.

The historic core of the town is a veritable architectural dictionary of 18th and 19th century housing styles.

Notice the old wavy glass in the sidelights and transom of this  front door.  It was the least 'restored' of them all (and perhaps the most charming) whose resident was taking a nap on the side porch but didn't seem to mind my snooping!