We have been protecting Nahant’s legacy for over 20 years
In 1996, the Nahant Preservation Trust was created as a nonprofit entity to protect Nahant’s historic properties and open space. We began with saving and restoring Valley Road’s 1904 Georgian Schoolhouse (now the Nahant Community Center) which was slated to be razed. We then joined with a Nahant citizens group to preserve the Nahant Life Saving Station, built in 1899. By request of the Town of Nahant, we planned and managed the interior restoration and took over management of the building.
These restored buildings do not sit idle – they host community and artistic events, generate rental income from private events such as weddings, reunions and corporate offsites, as well as have having tenants to help pay for their upkeep. This is known as “adaptive re-use”, a way to maintain restored historic properties and keep them vital.
We also protect open spaces through owning shares or properties directly. The NPT’s share ownership helps prevent further development of the Nahant Country Club property, and NPT holdings on Wharf Street and Furbush Road have blocked development in those important wetland areas. Currently, the NPT has engaged in proceedings against Northeastern University to block their expansion plans into the open space area at East Point.