History in the Details on Hussey Street
PROPERTY PROFILE Nantucket Real Estate $2,395,000
Known as The William M. Andrews House, 22 Hussey Street is the first Nantucket home built by carpenter and house wright William Andrews in 1836, and is one of the early examples of a house built specifically for resale. Andrews' details and craftsmanship can be found in several historic homes within the core district. Twenty-two Hussey was surveyed and studied by the Nantucket Preservation Institute in 1992, and thankfully, many of the original historic architectural features of the home are still intact.

According to the Preservation Institute, this home is a classic example of an early Greek revival house, with its dramatic pediment "supported," visually at least, by a pair of "engaged pilasters" at either corner of the façade. Essentially, the corner boards, milled with faint-butvisible ridges, mimic columns in the Greek style.

A feature of the façade that is quite certainly not typical is the large and unique triangular attic window set into the pediment. With a strong circular element at its center and two supporting shapes which come to a point on either side, the effect is that of a massive, dramatic spider's web. Viewed from the street, or from inside the attic itself, this window is striking. (A prospective buyer might wish to renovate the attic and turn it into living space just for this reason.)

Twenty-two Hussey is one of the best preserved historic homes we have seen. Its floors show off a patina of centuries of age. Its woodwork details, such as the Greek revival millwork throughout as well as the oak leaf corner-block details, are wonderful. In the dining room, the chandelier holds actual candles - not some electrified reproduction of the original that you might expect to find in a less historic place. The original heating source, fireplaces, all continue to work.

This home is authentic. Historic. Preserved.

Step inside the front entryway and you find yourself in a typical 1800s foyer, with a stairway to your left, a hallway leading the visitor to the dining room and kitchen straight ahead, and to your right, a formal sitting room or parlor. The parlor features one of several fireplaces throughout the home as well as built-in shelving and half-shuttered windows (which would provide both light and privacy from people walking by the front windows.

The front stairway displays gentle scrollwork detail. The curved handrail is currently missing its mortgage button, although a hint of the ashes from the original mortgage are detectable in its place.

As you move toward the kitchen, you'll pass though the formal dining room. This space features another fireplace, as well as a ledge four-fifths of the way up one wall for displaying prized pieces of china. A few steps beyond and you find yourself within the home's magnificent, big, square, openfloor plan kitchen which features period wooden countertops, a deep soapstone sink cut from thick slabs, as well as several nice details like overhead pot racks and wall-mounted spice shelves. In the corner is a massive, dramatic wood-burning cook stove. Above, the ceiling has rough-hewn open joists, pickled white, revealing the construction techniques of the period.

Upstairs, there are two bedrooms and an additional room which is currently used as an office. The master bedroom suite features a large master bath and a dressing area linking the front bathroom with the back bath. Both baths feature period clawfooted soaking tubs and simple, classic, white fixtures.

Another wonderful feature of this home is the rear, attached, two-story apartment with fireplaces on both floors, a full kitchen, a full bath with a third claw-foot bathtub and a surprising amount of space. This space could easily be integrated with \ the rest of the home or kept as a separate apartment.

This magnificent and well preserved four bedroom, three bath historic home, a short walk from the center of the downtown district, is offered at $2,395,000. In addition, the lot across the street is available for $495,000.00. It has a garage and offstreet parking, but can be improved with a small

home if desired. I