What do you see when you look at a house? Do you see a house – or a home? Do you see the sum of its parts: its singles, its windows, its doors, and its paint? Or do you imagine its life, something far more intriguing and complex? A place where someone saw a puppy being born, learned to swim, planted a garden and untangled long division? Can you see them coming home from a long day of work at the Coast Guard, scalloping for your favorite local restaurant, or doing the finances for the town?

Every corner of the 31 Fairgrounds Road property, owned by the Coffin family since 1963, has memories and stories. Wiggles Coffin built a patio, an outdoor fireplace, and an above ground pool for his wife, Joan, to sunbathe and relax. An inherited and relocated shanty placed at the rear of the lot gave shelter for opening countless scallops, first by Wiggles and later by his son-in-law, who continued the tradition decades later.

On February 12th this parcel passed into Housing Nantucket’s hands, funded through a  grant from the Town’s Affordable Housing Trust. We toured the property prior to the sale with Didi Spencer, second daughter of Wiggles and Joan. Didi shared compelling memories of life in her parents home. Hearing all of her tales, we wondered whether she and her family were sad to let the place go.

“Selling the property is certainly bittersweet for us all,” said Didi. “But it’s time and the right thing to do. I can’t help but feel my parents would be proud of my sisters and me for contributing towards Nantucket’s affordable housing efforts. If we want to keep teachers, firefighters, police officers and young people here, especially native Nantucketers and older retired people, we need to create a way to accommodate them so they stay here, and help keep our beautiful community alive and well.”

This month, as we watched the existing structures move over-the-road, we acknowledged and appreciated the Coffin family for the value they place on community. We strive to maintain this tradition throughout the project. Wish us luck as we embark on the Historic District Committee’s (HDC’s) review process next week. Our first hearing is July 6th.