Our firm has a strong interest in working with simple, vernacular construction techniques from the past that have much to re-teach the modern world. Reconstruction of the Nahant Town Wharf in 2010 required replacement of the single-season wharf building, home to the harbormaster and wharfinger and the site for sailing club equipment storage. Recalling a historic 19th-century wharf building lost in a 1938 hurricane was a priority. Our firm researched images from the Nahant Historical Society photo collections to derive a 21st century successor to the original. 

The wood-framed structure is bolted directly to the wharf deck to resist uplift from shifting sea levels. Stain was applied to the exterior woodwork to avoid paint flaking into the harbor. A raised seam roof reflects the long tradition of metal roofs on maritime buildings. The pattern of posts and openings evokes the earlier building and vertical pickets and paneled doors acknowledge historic precedents.