Star of the Sea youth hostel shining brighter following renovations
by Peter B. Brace Independent Writer
Renovation and restoration of the Star of the Sea hostel wrapped up earlier this month,

ROB BENCHLEY/The Independent file

reopening the 53 economical shoreline beds to all travelers.

The newly refurbished main building - originally built in 1874 as the Surfside Lifesaving Station, and the only Lifesaving Station on the island still standing - was brought up to 21st century standards, along with the coal shed, barn (dormitory), director's quarters and grounds of the property at 31 Western Ave. Upgrades included making the dormitory and main building accessible to hostel guests with disabilities. The project was paid for through local and regional grants and private donations.

"We're really thrilled," said Deborah Ruhe, executive director of nonprofit Hostelling International USA's Eastern New England Council. "As with any old building, there are still many more things that could be done. The dorm building was very, very rustic. The plumbing was probably put in there 70 years ago, [but] we're very, very happy. It's fabulous to have a handicap accessible space."

The work, undertaken in four phases over the last four years, included building boardwalks connecting all of the buildings, reshingling, trim repair and restoration work. For the coal shed north of the main building, Hostelling International raised the roof to convert it into staff housing. In the main building, storm windows were repaired or replaced and interior sashes refurbished. In the dining room, a structural support beam was replaced.

Also, the first floor of the main building is now accessible to disabled hostellers. The two wings that were previously added onto the east and west sides of the building that contained the living room and women's bathroom, respectively, were renovated so all guests can get to these areas. On the outside of the building, the original doors at the top of the ramp were restored and rehung.

But it is the dormitory that Ruhe is most proud of, as it now can accommodate disabled guests on the first floor. Rearranging the sleeping spaces on the first and second floors of the dorm, which originally served as a stable for the horses that Lifesaving crews used to haul boats to and from the water during rescues, Hostelling International converted the first floor into two units: one that sleeps five disabled guests and includes a bathroom, and one that sleeps five more guests. It also completely redid the bathrooms at the west end of the building. On the second floor, partitions were installed between the bunkbeds, along with a new sink.

Then ... COURTESY OF NANTUCKET HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

In the future, Ruhe said she would like to do more work to the main building.

"In back of the main building, we have bathrooms that could stand to be refinished," she said. "There's a little more accessibility that we would like to do in the main building, but we're putting that off for a while. Four years of renovations is a lot."

Ruhe credits the Western Avenue neighborhood of Surfside for being so supportive, and tolerant of the project over the last four years and thanks Nantucket for all its help. Funding for the $600,000 project came from the Community Preservation Committee, which chipped in $261,000 over three years; the Tupancy-Harris Foundation; the 1772 Foundation; the Siedman Foundation and the HWG Fund that donated $50,000.

... and now ROB BENCHLEY/The Independent file Before 1884, the Life-Saving Station had a rooftop platform, no wings and virtually no neighbors. The outside stairs visible in the present-day picture were added in 1963 to comply with fire code.

At $27 a night for hostel members, Star of the Sea is by far the cheapest sleep by the ocean on Nantucket.

"I really think that in many ways the hostel supplies some soul to the island, providing access to the island for hundreds and hundreds of people a

year; it's quite a gem," Ruhe said. I