Historic District Commission Split On Demolition Of Newly Built Pocomo Mansion

A motion to allow the demolition or relocation of a newly built mansion at 88 Pocomo Road to clear the way for a redesigned compound failed on a 3-2 vote of the Historic District Commission (HDC) last week.

While the vote was not a formal denial of the demolition application by the new owner of the property - 88 Pocomo Trust - it underscored the controversial nature of the request to tear down a massive new structure built just last year.

"It signifies so many things that are wrong," HDC member Val Oliver said of the proposed demolition. "We spend so much time trying to protect this island from so many things…I can’t wrap my brain around that it can’t be worked with in any shape or form...It just boggles my mind. This is another example of 'I’m going to build what I want with myself in mind and forget Nantucket'."

The partially completed waterfront spec house was built on Pocomo Road in 2023 and sold last November for $19.2 million. 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 that were ultimately approved by the HDC, and last month, it requested permission to demolish the existing structure.

The owners of the blind trust are not disclosed on public documents but have been represented at HDC hearings by architect Matthew MacEachern, owner of the island-based firm Emeritus. He previously told the HDC that the existing structure is simply "rough framed" with no interior finish whatsoever.

"How many buildings has everyone in this room worked on that have framing and exterior trim?" MacEachern asked the commission last Tuesday. "I just feel that while it is unique, and you may consider it wasteful, but if you compare the amount of demolition that happens on this island as a whole, to single this one out just seems wrong."

Attempting to reach a compromise with the members of the HDC who were clearly opposed to the demolition during last week's hearing, commissioner Ray Pohl put forward a motion to allow the structure to be demolished or moved off the site with a request that the owners allow as much of the materials comprising the structure to be salvaged as possible. Even so, the motion ultimately failed on a 3-2 vote.

"I can’t have a clear conscience about voting for it, so no," HDC member Angus MacLeod said.

"I just can’t vote to see this thing demolished," associate HDC member Carrie Thornewill added.

MacLeod and Thornewill were joined by Oliver in voting to defeat the motion. Pohl and HDC chair Stephen Welch were in the minority voting in favor.

The application for demolition will be back before the HDC at a later date and yet another vote. 

If the demolition is ultimately allowed by the commission, the structures that would be 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 but never built.

"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.