Martha's Vineyard Gardens and Houses - Hardcover

Taylor Lewis renowned architectural and interior photographer, has photographed thousands of rooms, ranging from historic to contemporary, as well as gardens from Natchez, Mississippi, to the White House, from England to the Island of Mustique in the Caribbean. His most recent book, Nantucket: Gardens and Houses, received the accolades of the gardening and architectural communities. Among his more than twenty-five other books are: A Window on Williamsburg, Washington's Mount Vernon, and Victorious Victorians. He is a frequent contributor to Colonial Homes, Southern Living, and Architectural Digest. He has won numerous awards for photography, art direction, and advertising. His lifelong love of the sea, flowers, and interior design have come together in this book on the Vineyard.

Chapter 1

PINEAPPLE HOUSE

This house known as Pineapple House is one of the oldest in Edgartown. The lot was purchased from Governor Thomas Mayhew in 1679 by John Coffin, son of Tristram Coffin, one of the early settlers of Nantucket. Built soon after 1682, when John Coffin came to Edgartown, the original house was 24 feet wide by 32 feet deep and consisted of two stories plus a basement on the front and one story on the back. The front of the house faced the harbor, as did all the houses at that time, since there was no street behind them until much later. The land slopes down to the water, so the first floor on what is now the street side is the second floor on the water side. John Coffin was a blacksmith by trade, and his shop was in the lower level of the house. Several subsequent owners in the 1700's were also tradesmen. Among them were a cooper, a shoemaker, and a tailor.

The present house is a much expanded version of the original; the dining room and porch wing of the house were added around 1877. The current owners, Paul and Jacquelyn Ronan, have done extensive restorations and have furnished the house with a combination of antiques, some found in it, others purchased elsewhere on the Island.

The Georgian front was probably added around 1786, when South Water Street was laid out. Boxwood hedges line the brick front walk and privet outlines the property edges. Perennial borders and roses are planted selectively throughout the property's extensive lawns.

Copyright © 1992 by Taylor Lewis and Catherine Fallin