Backyard Transformed Into Pocket Park

"Choosing an appropriate historic aesthetic was not a simple task, given Nantucket's scant history of public parks, said Bartsch. After some deliberation, he arrived at the Victorian period of the late 19th century, more than two centuries after Nantucket's founding, when public parks gained popularity in the United States in recognition of their public health benefit.

'There were good comments and ideas that contributed to the park design from various townspeople I spoke with throughout the design process, as well as the Historic District Commission members and staff,' said Bartsch. 'Because of the age we live in, the park will be influenced by 21st-century ideas but it will try to follow the construction and function of 19th-century parks.'

The park's development did not involve a public process because the land is privately held by the Land Bank, which will pay for the its development and maintenance."