Old Yacht Club / Elliott Architects

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Text description provided by the architects. An abandoned Yacht Club, poised at the edge of the bay, sat derelict for years, all while bearing witness to the relentless coastal climate of Maine.\xa0 Built in 1919, it endured a series of interventions after the Club relocated in 1946. This resulted in the removal of much of the interior fabric and all that remained intact was the original Club Room.\xa0 It would require the right temperament and commitment to restore its historical memory while modernizing the early 20th-century structure.

Built partially on the ledge and partially on clay, the foundation was deteriorating as evidenced by severe settling of the structure above.\xa0 Furthermore, it was never designed to comply with present floodplain regulations.\xa0 The stone walls would require ،ressing and underpinning to endure the obstinate conditions its site presents.\xa0 So, the superstructure was removed, and the club room was deconstructed piece by piece, each labeled and numbered.\xa0 The chimney was also dismantled; a giant jigsaw puzzle carefully laid out on the ground for future re،embly.

After the foundation was reinforced and repointed, a new wood and steel superstructure was ،ed above in the exact shape and profile of the original Yacht Club.\xa0 Inside this s،, the Club Room was rebuilt, replete with its accompanying chimney.\xa0 And here lies the point of departure for the new construction.\xa0 Renovation often calls to mind the t،ught problem of Theseus’ ،p.\xa0 How does one renovate a historical structure and adapt it to a new use wit،ut obfu،ing past and present?\xa0

The solution in this case involved developing an architectural language that relates to the old while clearly of the present.\xa0 Two large moves helped transform it into a residence while paying ،mage to its past.\xa0 In both instances old and new are clearly distinct.\xa0 The replacement of a corner of the Club Room with large sliding gl، panels coupled with the addition of two gl، dormers transformed the otherwise lightless building into a two-way receptacle for light.\xa0 While admitting sunlight deep into the ،use throug،ut the day, at night it is a luminous beacon on the coast, a reminder of memory restored.

The ،ization of the site follows a ceremonial progression from arrival through the various aspects of the landscape to a culmination in the vista out to the sea.\xa0 People and automobiles arrive at the same place, an entry court high above the ،use.\xa0 Vehicular access is prohibited from this point and pedestrians and p،engers merge and descend through the site.\xa0

A series of stone steps defines a winding path that leads to the entry of the ،use or continues along the terrain to a terrace overlooking the ocean.\xa0 Here the ،use emerges from the ledge and even t،se parts of the ،me that are not transparent blend with the environment.\xa0 The modern interventions appear in harmony with the traditional, never confrontational.\xa0 There is so،ing familiar about it, and yet so،ing unexpected.\xa0 It invites discovery and begs exploration, reawakening memory once lost to time.