Photograph shows the view from the Congregational Church tower looking over Brant Point and up harbor. Houses on North Water Street and Brant Point are in view as well as the Nantucket Hotel, Veranda House, Hayden's Bath House and Steamboat Wharf.

The salt marsh along this section of shore remains largely undisturbed with few structures in the wetland areas along (what is now) Easton Street and South Beach. The waterfront to the east had been developed starting in 1700s to accommodate fishing and whaling operations (Old North Wharf was originally built in 1770, following the construction of Straight Wharf in 1723 and Old South Wharf in the 1760s). Note the Steamship Terminal, top right. (Courtesy of the Nantucket Historical Association)

Panoramic view from Steamboat Wharf to Children's Beach. Larger buildings, left to right include the Whaling Museum, Athletic Club and Hayden's Bath House. In the background are the Harbor House (center) with flag pole, and the Point Breeze Hotel on the right.

Tourist hotels, summer home, tennis courts and water recreation flourished across the island, as the island transitioned from a whaling port to a vacation spot. The waterfront along this area, largely left undisturbed during whaling’s heyday, was rapidly built up in the Victorian Era to accommodate increased tourism and summer recreation. (Panoramic Photo Courtesy of the Nantucket Historical Association.)

1880-1890s photo of the Nantucket Athletic Club (currently the Nantucket Yacht Club), as seen from Steamboat Wharf. Note the sandy shoreline above marshy wetlands and the elongated structure (then a bowling alley) on pilings. At this time, this section of the shoreline is just beginning to experience a built environment encroaching on the natural. (Courtesy of the Nantucket Historical Association)

1930s Lunch on the terrace and lawn at the Yacht Club. In the background are a few spectators watching a tennis match. Harbor sand and mud from various dredging projects filled the Harbor’s wetlands, including one in 1924 which pumped a slurry to make Children’s Beach. Courtesy of the Nantucket Historical Association.

1983 Renovation of the Nantucket Yacht Club, with one unidentified carpenter crossing the construction site. A more recent renovation saw all-encompassing infrastructure retrofits and new support facilities (kitchen and bath) to rehabilitated dining areas and new member spaces. The heart of the design is a renewed facility that maintains the historic nature of traditional Nantucket architecture. Studio: Photographed developed and printed on Nantucket Island by H. Flint Ranney. Courtesy of the Nantucket Historical Association.

Large waves during the "No Name Storm" of November 1991, crashing on the bulkhead at the Yacht Club, with Steamboat Wharf in the background. Bulkheads are coastal engineering structures using the “protect” strategy to keep water away, reduce its force, or to minimize erosion. These approaches tend to interfere more with natural systems, alter existing landscapes and infrastructure, and can be costly, so they are best suited for areas that are densely settled or have critical infrastructure where the impacts and expenditure are justified. (Courtesy of the Nantucket Historical Association)

Designing a large floor resistant commercial building in a historic district is not an easy task and poses many challenges. Resilient Nantucket: Flooding Adaptation & Building Elevation Design Guidelines manual provides various protection strategies in line with the Town of Nantucket's historic character and memorialized in Building with Nantucket in Mind. (Photo by Will Kinsella)

The Nantucket Yacht Club (NYC) and Emeritus Development were able to successfully complete large-scale, new construction that fits into the historic surroundings. The Yacht Club Dormitory at 4 South Beach Street is a 6,000-square foot building and contains sixteen dormitory units. Emeritus addressed the challenge by breaking up the massing, employing a low roof, and adding ornamentation like a shingle flare, to evoke the architecture of the early twentieth century. The structure also took its design cues and scale from the adjoining NYC. In addition to sensitively fitting into the streetscape, this building addresses the island’s critical housing need and will provide employee housing that will contribute to the vitality of the downtown year-round. (Photo Courtesy of the Nantucket Preservation Trust)

This diagram compares different levels of flood protection for at-risk structures. The left side of the diagram shows the level of protection currently required by Massachusetts Building Code. The right shows how additional elevation can be encouraged based on best available flood hazard data to arrive at the recommended Design Flood Elevation. CRP page 98

Some of the possible steps property owners can take to build resilience: elevation and flood vents. Flood vents are small, permanent openings that allow floodwater to flow through and drain out of enclosed space such as garages and crawlspaces and reduce the risk of serious structural damage. Flood vents should be kept clear of debris so that they work effectively during a flood. Flood vents are required by FEMA for properties being built in high-risk flood zones but can also be added to existing structures. (Photo by Theo Kinsella)

Structural approaches provide flood and erosion risk mitigation through engineered methods, such as through flood walls, berms, bulkheads, raised streets, and drainage infrastructure, that alter the natural flow of flood waters or sediments. These approaches are engineered for the specific purpose of controlling water or sediments but can be designed to incorporate nature-based features. (February 1994 Photo Courtesy of the Nantucket Historical Association)

An overview of the Downtown near-term coastal resilience strategy, including the Downtown Neighborhood Flood Barrier, roadway elevation, and site and property scale adaption measures. (CRP page 145)

This image shows example profile of the Downtown Neighborhood Flood Barrier at Children's Beach. Co-benefits are features of a resilience strategy that address other community goals and needs in addition to coastal risk reduction. The resilience strategy for Downtown includes a number of opportunities for co-benefits that can be pursued through project design and implementation, including new improved public boating access, new waterfront parks, and pocket parks that also retain and filter stormwater. (CRP p. 146)

The recommended flood resilience approaches for Downtown may incorporate different types of gates and barriers that require human installation or action before a storm. These types of approaches are called “deployables.” Deployables can be appropriate for areas where access to and from buildings and properties needs to be maintained during dry conditions. These approaches can be used to reach higher levels of flood protection at key locations or at the entrances to businesses and other structures. Deployable measures are generally less reliable than other passive approaches, such as berms, walls, and dunes, and have greater operations and maintenance demands, so it is best to limit their use as part of a flood protection plan as much as feasible. (CRP page 149)

An example of AquaFence deployable flood barrier system from the Boston Public Works Department Climate Resilient Design Standards & Guidelines For Protection of Public Rights-of-Way.

The bulkheads in front of the Nantucket Yacht Club are an integral part of the Downtown Neighborhood Flood Barrier strategy outlined in the Coastal Resilience Plan. This strategy incorporates several different resilience approaches, including raised roadways serving as berms on Easton Street, New Whale Street, Commercial Street, Washington Street, and Francis Street; raised bulkheads along Easy Street and on the waterfront at the Nantucket Yacht Club, reinforced dunes at Children’s Beach, and integrated flood walls and berms in strategic locations where additional space enables coastal defense structures with a wider footprint. (Photo by Will Kinsella)