On Saturday, June 27, members and guests of the Vineyard Haven Yacht Club celebrated their charming new building with an opening day party.

Everyone gathered to enjoy the simple, elegant structure designed by Peter Breese, the owner and founder of Breese Architects and Interiors Studio Martha’s Vineyard. “When we were asked to design this community space, we were very aware of the history and tradition the yacht club represents for families who have been coming here, in some cases, for generations. We wanted to respect that tradition and create a new building of appropriate character that would support their activities for many generations to come,” he said.

The new Vineyard Haven Yacht Club pays homage to the club’s traditions while carving out its own distinctive place. Sited perfectly on the same spectacular waterfront property the yacht club has occupied for the past 80 years, the low building stretches elegantly across the sand. While being well-grounded at the inland entrance, it floats abovethe beach on the water side. The club sits quietly, allowing the attention to be drawn to its lovely natural surroundings.

Viewed from the dock, its many decks and porches (including a wonderful second floor veranda accessible from both in and outside the building) create welcoming open-air gathering spots in harmony with the casual beachfront neighborhood.

An important aspect of the project was maintaining the same general traffic flow and task location of the original yacht club. Jessica Cook, one of the designers involved, said, “It was important to the building committee that we preserve all of the aspects of the former building’s space that had worked well for everyone who uses the club. We designed the new building in a way that kept the impact on the site and the neighborhood very minimal.”

One of the most important changes was the addition of a great room. This generous, light-filled space features a stone fireplace, high ceilings, exposed scissor trusses and a wall of folding doors which open directly onto the main deck. When the doors are open the distinction between the inside and outside environments disappears allowing people to move from one to the other with ease.

“We’re very happy with the way the yacht club turned out and of the success of our collaboration with the club’s building committee, the general contractors from Holmes Hole Builders, the Martha’s Vineyard Commission and the town of Vineyard Haven . . . to create a new family gathering place that we hope the members will come to love as much as they did the old one,” Mr. Breese said.