Rescue This Old House

So the Chilmark historical district commission has given an eighteenth century home — one of just a couple of dozen structures existing on the Island from before the American Revolution ­— six months to live. Inspiring stories abound of patients who beat the odds in doctors’ death sentences, and so too perhaps can houses, provided they have strong advocates.

Good architecture likewise requires a strong client. The homeowners in this case have had the property for more than a decade. The Cape Cod style house is in bad shape, its post and beam support structure ravaged by powder post beetles, and presumably worsening.

Time is running out on this old house.

Engineer Kent Healy noted this fact in a brief May letter, while contractor John Abrams advised the owners of the old home that a restoration would amount to replacing every piece of it. Were it not for its extraordinary significance, it is likely few would have shown up for the recent hearing hosted by the historical commission about signing off on the demolition permit.

But preserving Island history, and by extension its old architecture, is significant and that is the point. Island historians, prizewinning authors of historical fiction and nonfiction, a retired builder — they all came to the hearing to question the end of the Tilton house. Tilton is a name “prominent in the annals of Chilmark for two and a half centuries,” according to The History of Martha’s Vineyard by Dr. Charles Banks. The last town master plan — surprisingly from 1985, indicating a refresher is due — lists less than 30 structures as old, and few as whole as this.

Vineyarders routinely decry the appearance of bloated, overly sized houses on this Island. A few decades ago, when money was easy here, year-rounders tightened building rules, and with some success: in Chilmark no building may be torn down without first obtaining a demolition permit. Certain incentives are also available. For instance, in 1990, historic preservationist Ben Clark and his wife, Suzanne, disassembled, board by board, the manor that Simon Athearn had built in Seventeen-Thirty on his farm in West Tisbury. The Clarks were allowed a three-hundred-square-foot addition for a new kitchen on the reconstructed house.

Perhaps before making a final decision, the town would be wise to consult Ben Clark or another preservation expert for a second opinion about whether this home can be saved at any cost. It is possible the owners, known philanthropists, will be spurred to further review their options when they see the community’s concern for the loss of legacy at stake here.

It will not be an easy decision for them, nor are they the only owners faced with the challenge of trying to manage the staggering cost of reviving a piece of history. The town knows well the challenge at hand. Some years back Chilmark bought the former Burton Engley home on Middle Road with the intention of converting it to an affordable home, but learned that too much was involved for the town to handle. More recently the old Engley house was included in a conservation sale and swap with the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank and a private landowner. The private landowner took possession of the house, which is now badly deteriorated and sadly another likely candidate for demolition. Out at Quansoo the Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation faces a similar challenge with the house formerly owned by the late Flipper Harris, believed to be one of the oldest houses on the Island with wattle and daub construction.

Certainly there is a heavy responsibility that comes with owning an old house. In the developed world, decisions to demolish are generally based on money, not quality. On the Vineyard, let’s hope we can do better.