Island Homes – Oro Editions – Publishers of Architecture, Art, and Design

Architecture

History
Reinterpreted

History Reinterpreted

“Celebrated as one of America’s top classical architects, Patrick Ahearn, began his career with ambitious adaptive-reuse public projects.”

Built in 1871 as The Standish House and subsequently known as The Myles Standish Hotel, this seaside resort in its heyday lured guests with daily concerts, weekly balls, and regular regattas plus water and ginger ale from its very own bottling company. Its run was short but strong; fire destroyed much of the property in 1908 and its doors were shuttered for good in 1912. Three years later the structure was unartfully split in two; the south wing was sold and moved off-site while the north wing was left in its original location. Each was used as a single family residence. In 2016, the north wing was sold to new owners who hoped to save it from being demolished.

Taking cues from the property’s actual history, an implied history was written. It would no longer be “half an historic hotel” used as a home; instead, it would become a prominent bayfront residence, complete with what could have been a boat house connected to the main structure over time, with all spaces built to maximize indoor and outdoor enjoyment and to live seamlessly for today’s modern family. The renovation left no room untouched, yet the sensitivity of the new architecture makes visitors wonder what was original and what was built anew.