The History and Future of the Nantucket Whaling Museum
How heritage contends with a rising sea
Introduction
With each passing year, sea levels around the world continue to rise.
Many feel they can safely ignore this fact, believing that its impacts are far enough away or too negligible in severity to be of any concern. It seems such an abstract, undetectable phenomenon; why start preparing for something that we can barely see change by the day?
Residents of the island of Nantucket know they don't have this luxury.
As the climate changes, every locale of the world exhibits its own unique effects, vulnerabilities, and even crises. For this island, these take the form of an increasingly vicious onslaught by water. Be it flooding from ever-higher tides, severe rainfall, or even intruding groundwater, Nantucketers have to face inundation head-on from all sides. And with these events becoming more frequent and aggressive, many know it's a race against the clock to find true mitigations and solutions.
The Nantucket Historical Association is no stranger to this issue. Their flagship historical site, the island's Whaling Museum, keeps a precarious foothold on Broad Street alongside the wharf and has been subjected to several major flooding events in its lifespan on top of the wear and tear of 175 years. The building remains carefully preserved, but has begun to show its age as water has found ways to infiltrate the brick-and-mortar walls of its 19 th -century Candle Factory.
Across the world a wealth of heritage lies at risk, and defending it is a challenge that requires foresight and timely preparation. This story map will develop the context needed to begin taking informed steps towards resilience, using the Whaling Museum as a key case study.
History of the Museum
How a cultural haven came to be.
The present-day Nantucket Whaling Museum, including the Candle Factory and Peter Foulger Museum.
The schematic below walks through the progression of the museum and its surroundings from 1869 through 2022. Click any of the red waypoints to see a photo taken from that vantage point that shows what the site might have looked like at that point in time; clicking the photo will take you to its entry in the NHA's archives for a closer look and additional information.
Additionally, clicking the name of any of the sites within the complex below will take you to its history page for further reading.
1869 - 1930
Following the fire of 1846, in which the original candleworks at its site was razed, the new Hadwen & Barney Oil and Candle Factory was rapidly constructed by the esteemed Mitchell family. Within only a few years it was purchased by William Hadwen and Nathaniel Barney to continue production into the 1860s, and so it did despite the decline of Nantucket’s whaling industry in the years to come.
Relegated to warehouse storage following its closure in 1969, it would then find use as office space for the New England Steamship Company and an antiques shop. In its vicinity once stood buildings such as shops and a now long-gone bakery.
1930 - 1971
It wasn’t until 1929 that the NHA procured the Candle Factory. Opening as the original Nantucket Whaling Museum in 1931, it displayed an extensive set of whaling artifacts donated by Edward F. Sanderson, the namesake of the building's iconic Sanderson Hall.
In the years preceding the opening, multiple of the original buildings on the adjacent block were demolished and the road between the two was removed, leaving them as one contiguous, open space into which the museum would expand in the coming years.
The museum's famous whaleboat mural in its original position.
1971 - 1985
The museum was run solely out of the former candle house until 1971, when the Peter Foulger Museum was completed. In his ancestor's name, the construction was funded by the inheritance of Admiral William Mayhew Folger. This new development saw the removal of the last building that still remained on the west side of the block.
Serving as new office and exhibit space, the new brick structure was connected to the Whaling Museum by way of a long annex on the building’s west side constructed around the same time, weaving together the beginning of the complex as it exists today. Within it, an iconic finback whale skeleton was kept on display which now resides in Nantucket High School.
Prior to 1971, a small neighbor appeared on the block only to be moved to Madaket within a few decades: the diminutive building for the Nantucket Chamber of Commerce.
1985 - 2000
Come 1986, construction was completed on the museum’s former gift shop, a space that now houses the Discovery Center children’s exhibit. The museum shop has since been moved to the entryway of the Candle Factory, which was once the lobby of the entire museum.
Around this time a new building appeared on the block behind the museum at 4 Whalers Lane. Though not historic in nature, this site would prove to be of some interest to the NHA's goals a few decades later.
2005 - Present
The latest renovation to the museum took place in the early 2000s and was concluded in 2005. The brick annex was removed and replaced with an entirely new steel-frame connecting portion, complete with a lobby, rooftop viewing deck, and more new exhibition space; particularly of note is the spacious Gosnell Hall , the ceiling of which displays the breathtaking skeleton of a sperm whale recovered in 1997 and key whale hunting artifacts.
The property at 4 Whaler’s Lane became a non-historic acquisition by the NHA as of 2018. Whether development involves modifications to or wholesale removal of the building, whatever ends up in its place will need to further the NHA’s goals while remaining conscious of the complex’s resilience needs.
Over 175 years, the museum has grown and remained contemporary while keeping close ties to its heritage.
This is a difficult balance to maintain, but it's been facilitated by staying true to one key principle: Gradual change is inevitable, even in historic sites, and isn't something to fear.
A building such as the Candle Factory has went through many phases in its lifespan, and will see many more. Measures taken to protect the structure from the impacts of climate change are simply the next stepping stone along this road, and will ensure a safe journey forwards.
Whaling Museum in 1931 / Whaling Museum in 2022.
Looking Forwards
What the continued rise of sea levels could mean for the museum.
Flooding around the area of the Whaling Museum from South Beach Street (left) and Easy Street (right)
Key Terms:
NOAA: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
SLR: Sea Level Rise
National Tidal Datum Epoch: The specific 19-year period adopted by the National Ocean Service as the time segment over which tide observations are taken and reduced to obtain mean values (e.g., mean higher high water, etc.) for tidal datums. NOAA currently uses the interval from 1983-2001, because the most recent period of 2002-2020 is set to be finalized in 2025.
Mean Higher High Water (MHHW): The average of the highest water heights observed over the National Tidal Datum Epoch.
Mean Sea Level (MSL): The average of hourly heights observed over the National Tidal Datum Epoch.
Mean Lower Low Water: The average of all the lowest water heights observed over the National Tidal Datum Epoch.
North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88): A fixed reference for elevations determined by geodetic leveling. ~1.7 ft below MSL for Nantucket.
The Whaling Museum is situated on Broad Street in downtown Nantucket, allowing it to be seen by visitors the moment they disembark the ferry. This would generally be a positive for the building, but as it applies to resilience discussions, this is a sizeable blow to its well-being.
Consider that this is where it stands relative to the water. With this kind of proximity to the sea, it's already far more jeopardized than anything else in its vicinity.
Even then, however, the entire downtown area, particularly due to its low elevation, will experience the severe impacts given enough time. 2022 data used for future projections were collected from the NOAA tide station (shown at right), which is located only a couple hundred yards away from the Whaling Museum (as indicated by the orange dotted line). These projections, in reference to the entire downtown area--but especially the museum--are very accurate.
Shown in blue is Easy Street, a well-known case study for flooding (as will be demonstrated shortly) and Oak Street in red.
Going back in time, Nantucket has seen about 8 inches of SLR since 1965, 5 of which were between 2000 and 2020. This brings about a highly concerning prospect: sea levels are expected to rise exponentially. The graph to the right, created by NOAA, shows SLR projections that came out in 2022 with a zero in the year 2000. The high scenario predicts a rise of 6.66 ft by the year 2100.
One of the most frequent flooding locations in the vicinity is Easy Street, on account of its being adjacent to the wharf and low elevation. The graph to the right shows the number of days when water levels have exceeded 1.8ft above MHHW, which equates to about 6 inches of water at the corner of Easy Street and Oak street. Taking this data in conjunction with the 2017 SLR projections, it can be estimated that by the year 2040 East Street will have 6 or more inches of water on it every few days, an amount significant enough to cause sunny-day flooding to buildings down the road and impede travel.
Although six inches of water will not reach the whaling museum on its own, even water at that height will have some impacts on the complex. Storm drains become overwhelmed--since they can not drain into the harbor--causing a backup. In the event of a rainstorm causing the closure of vents along the wharf, this can cause serious problems for the museum as water will have no place to go and will try and find its way into the museum.
As sea levels continue to rise, the frequency of deep flooding will increase as well. The graph to the right, taken from NASA, shows projections for the number of days per year when water levels are 39 inches above MHHW. At that level, water would reach up to around Young's Bike shop and Stubby's. The graph projects, shockingly, that by the year 2070 this could happen 66 times a year based on NOAA's intermediate scenario.
What does that look like? The rendering to the right created by students from the University of Florida shows about what 39 inches MHHW looks like on Easy and Broad Street. According to the intermediate-high scenario from the 2022 NOAA projections, this could be MHHW by the year 2080.
Sea level rise is a reality that the museum has to be ready to cope with. It can be hard to visualize places like Easy Street being underwater year round, but this could be a reality in the future. The earlier the NHA comes to terms with it, the better the chance for the museum to get the protection it deserves.
Hazards to the Complex
Problems facing the museum now and going forwards.
Presented below is a map of confirmed and possible vulnerabilities within the broader museum complex, listed (roughly) in order of decreasing priority. High-priority vulnerabilities are those which are already experiencing flooding or otherwise require imminent action; lower-priority hazards are those which are likely to pose a problem sometime in the future and warrant attention before they grow into significant problems.
Notably, a majority of these fall within and around the Candle Factory. This is to be expected: as the oldest component of the complex, weaknesses have naturally begun to manifest over time through exposure to the elements. The factory's floor is also notably low, leaving it close to the museum's base flood elevation and the water table, and, as pointed out in a 2018 survey of the property by McGrath Architecture, its entryway is the portion of the complex easily most jeopardized by storm surge and wave action flooding.
For convenience, these numbered sites in red can be clicked to automatically move between them, or they can be scrolled through in sequence.
Current Prevention Strategies
The museum has already begun implementing a few floodproofing strategies in response to these hazards. In addition to sandbags around key doorways, the NHA makes use of flood sacks, wet vacs, and flood response kits to rapidly begin removing water when it enters the building. Not to be overlooked as part of these measures is the matter of employee training, as ensuring that staff know how to respond to emergencies in a calm, informed manner is just as important as providing them with physical tools.
The 2018 survey of the museum by McGrath Architecture pointed the Association towards some additional strategies which they have since been working to implement. Examples of these include constructing a new shed roof over the Discovery Center connecting hallway for runoff, dry floodproofing the slab floor of the Candle Factory as thoroughly as possible, and properly reconnecting downspouts along the front of the building to subterranean storm water drains.
From left to right: sandbags around the north elevation door, an absorbent flood sack, a drop-in flood barrier, and wet vacs in use to remove water.
Protecting the Museum
Short, medium, and long-term solutions and mitigations.
These potential mitigation strategies are separated into time-framed categories of short- (by 2030), medium- (2050-2070), and long-term (2100+) solutions and adaptation strategies. While these intervals are not contiguous, they are based on the time frames used by the Coastal Resilience Plan which we continued to use to maintain uniformity with the shared primary source data. While these suggestions are offered for the NHA’s consideration, they are in no way a comprehensive list of available options. This team drew upon our research and the standards discussed within the NPS Guidelines for Flood Adaptation which included resiliency, adaptations, and treatments ranging from temporary protective measures, landscape adaptations, dry floodproofing, wet floodproofing, filling the basement, and elevation. We attempted to identify appropriate treatment options for the NHA to investigate and consider. Be advised that the choice, timing, and details of these strategies will require extensive engineering and architectural research that is beyond the scope of this project.
Short Term Strategies (by 2030)
- Landscape Adaptations:
- Rain gardens
- Planter boxes
- Vertical vegation
- Dry Floodproofing:
- Self adhesive membrane
- Flood gate in lower level bathroom
- Evaluate wall integrity and repoint
- Sump pump
- Install backflow values
- Clear downspouts
- Elevation:
- Demolition and build elevated structure at 4 Whalers Lane
Medium Term Strategies (2050-2070)
- Dry Floodproofing:
- Examine and maintain the structural integrity of the masonry
- Structural reinforcement
- Wet Floodproofing/ Elevation:
- Raise floor to allow water to flow underneath
- Elevate Discovery Center to aid with absorption
Long Term Strategies (2100+)
- Elevation
- Assess feasibility to elevate structure
- Adaptation
- Retrofit with a buoyant foundation
- Retreat
- Relocate structure to preserve and protect
Conclusion
Sea level rise is uncertain by its very nature, with projections being refined constantly as communities study its impacts and learn how to adapt to it. No two places are alike: every affected area comes with it unique circumstances and challenges, and for the Nantucket Whaling Museum the main trial remains upholding the NHA's steadfast goal of preservation.
To prepare a building for a future of flood events while maintaining its historic authenticity is anything but simple, but we hope some of the explanations and recommendations presented herein help preservationists on Nantucket and worldwide balance these two objectives. We've reached an era where history and resilience cannot afford to exclude one another: only by assuring a future for heritage sites in jeopardy may we preserve the breadth of history they embody.
Below are a set of resources providing additional detail on the topics discussed in this story map and the research paper prepared for the NHA alongside this map. We encourage interested parties to use these as a springboard for future research on sea level rise and safeguarding history.