Main and Fair

Nantucket

The Nantucket Land Bank acquired a downtown property at the corner of Main St. and Fair St. They asked Bartsch Landscape Architecture to design and manage installation of the first downtown park in over a hundred years. Some expected a grassy mound and a couple benches. Others, who don’t like change, like certain administrators of the Historic District Commission and even the director of the Historic Association baldly stated that the future park would resemble WWI battle trenches, mud and all. Despite their lack of vision and their rallying of town members against the park (imagine!), we saw an opportunity to give something special to the town, something worth its setting at the center of things. We focused on 18th C. and 19th C. maritime materials like granite blocks and custom designed wrought iron fences. We crafted a park sensitive to the island’s historic nature and which remains fully accessible, one that gives the public a diverse and engaging spot. The park has seat walls, benches, special lanterns, and a huge but simply-designed fountain that people can sit on. We derived our planting scheme from species that were popular in 200-year old Nantucket gardens. Today all the naysayers hide in their underground lairs and keep quiet. Locals and visitors crowd the park every day in every season. That’s testament enough for us.

Collaboration

Landscape Construction: Ferrantella Landscaping

Masonry: John Fee Masonry

Electrician: Ellis & Schneider Electric

Plumbing: Pete Christianson Plumbing

Custom Metal Fabrication: Billy Sherry

Total Park Project Costs: $348k

An Elevated Community Space

Some expected a couple benches on an open mound of grass. But the space is too important not to make it special. Fortunately others agreed, and today the peaceful getaway is well loved with its heavy granite maritime walls, period fences, interactive fountain, and naturalized plantings.

Room to Roam

Children love the space, getting their hands wet, tossing lucky pennies in the fountain, and even digging in the dirt in this well-enclosed, safe haven.

Cues from Other Nantucket Sites

The next most recent park was at the Atheneum. There, the entry has a beautifully simple lantern design that we co-opted for this setting. We’ll use others’ good ideas for the sake of visual continuity across the community.

Prior Condition

Once a croquet court for the white house, the new owners sold the space to the Land Bank. They called Bartsch Landscape Architecture.

Custom All the Way

The little iron fence, all the stonework, the plantings, people love this little park.

Project Lead

David Bartsch

David is extremely reliable and listened to our needs. David always kept the project flowing, without him, we could never have done it. He kept us informed and brought the job in on time. He solved any problems that came up creatively. David was a pleasure to do business with.

P. Morency

Principal Service Engineer at a worldwide lighting solutions manufacturer