"Kind Of A Waste" A $19.2 Million Partially Finished Spec House On Nantucket Harbor May Soon Be Demolished

A partially completed waterfront spec house built on Pocomo Road in 2023 and sold last November for $19.2 million may soon be demolished to make way for a redesigned mansion.

Perched above Nantucket Harbor on the western side of Pocomo Point, the property at 88 Pocomo Road had been vacant up until very recently. It now features a 5,600-square-foot mansion and guesthouse that were under construction when the property was sold in November 2023. The project was far enough along in the construction process to be considered weather-tight.

But the new owner - 88 Pocomo Trust - had other ideas for the property. Through its agents, the trust submitted alternative plans for the waterfront compound, and last month, it requested permission from the Historic District Commission (HDC) to demolish the new structure. That request will be heard by the HDC on Tuesday.

The owners of the blind trust are not disclosed on public documents but have been represented at previous hearings by architect Matthew MacEachern, of the island-based firm Emeritus.

"It's rough framed, there's no interior finish whatsoever, and I'd say 90 percent of the windows are in," MacEachern said of the spec house during a hearing before the HDC in July. "For background, this house was purchased mid-construction. The new owner was trying to work with the existing structure, but there was going to be so much work done to it that it's basically a redesign. We are going to try to utilize all the windows, but it's basically a rough frame structure. I'm sure this is not the first time this has happened." 

Architect Graham Goldsmith, who owns the abutting property on Pocomo Road, objected to the demolition earlier this year. Goldsmith told the HDC that he had already endured two years of construction of the spec house, and now he was looking at another two years of construction following the demolition.

"It seems like it's kind of a waste," Goldsmith told the HDC in July when he referenced some of the other structures on Pocomo Road that were being torn down, including the 34-year-old mansion at 72 Pocomo Road that was previously owned by Yankee Candle founder Michael J. Kittredge.

"How many more buildings are we going to tear down in this neighborhood? It just goes on and on and on," Goldsmith said. "You've got a perfectly good house there. It seems over the top to continue and kind of a waste. If it's not part of your purview, I just think it's out of control, the amount of stuff getting ripped down and rebuilt. We may have to deal with this a different way."

Historic District Commission member Ray Pohl told Goldsmith that while he may sympathize with his objection to the demolition, the HDC is strictly focused on the exterior architecture and emphasized that the building was obviously not of any historical value.

"I feel your pain, but the construction process isn't really part of our review process," Pohl said. "As a citizen, I agree with you. But we're here to talk about the architecture."

During the HDC hearings over the summer, when the new plans for the redesigned mansion were being considered, MacEachern was at odds with the commission over whether a demolition permit should be required to tear down the partially completed mansion. HDC member Stephen Welch was the first to raise the issue and pointed out that everything, including the foundation, was going to be removed. MacEachern emphasized that the structure was under construction and did not have a certificate of occupancy.

"It seems disappointing to get to this point and raise that issue," MacEachern said. "This is not a completed structure. It's basically open studs. This is a work in progress. For a demolition, you need to pull a permit for a structure that has a CO (certificate of occupancy), and it's not even close. It's a redesign."

Pohl indicated that the question should go to town counsel, and at some point since the hearing in July, it appears there was a determination that 88 Pocomo Trust would be required to submit for a demolition permit.

If allowed by the HDC, the structures that would torn down are a six-bedroom home and two-bedroom guesthouse that were previously being marketed as a "stunning waterfront compound where luxury living meets coastal charm brought to you by Emeritus Design and Planning, Kristy Kay Design, B Harris and Company Builders, Miroslava Ahern Landscape Design."

It was slated to include a two-bay garage, pool, and a pickleball/sports court that were supposed to be completed during the summer of 2024.

"Every room of this home has been meticulously designed with exquisite details, ensuring a sophisticated experience," according to the listing by J Pepper Frazier Real Estate.

The vacant property was sold for $4 million in 2021 by Gary and Dao Engle, who own the neighboring property at 90 Pocomo Road (the former Proctor & Gamble mansion). The new owner was 88 Pocomo LLC, a limited liability company registered to Jennifer Askew, of Scituate, Mass. The LLC started construction at the property in 2022 and 2023 before selling the 1.43-acre lot to 88 Pocomo Trust in November 2023 for $19.2 million.