After I announced that I had booked a trip to Nantucket, I received a very nice email from one of my readers, Michelle Elzay.

“I am an artist and designer based in New York and Nantucket and am on the Board of the Nantucket Preservation Trust. Nantucket has the largest collection of pre Civil War Structures in the United States, that are considered greatly endanger by the department of the interior due to the rate that houses are being gutted by developers. I’d happily give you a tour of my house at 55 Union Street that was fully restored to pristine 1835 condition and has a very magical story that was uncovered during the process.”

As you know, I’m a sucker for a historic house and after I made sure she was legit and didn’t look crazy, I happily accepted her invitation.

Michelle, of Sparrow Design, and her business partner Pen Austin, now of Building Preservation Associates, restored 55 Union Street to a beautiful rental property while preserving all the wonderful period details of a house by the sea. The punctiliousness of the team is really evident in person. My favorite things from my tour yesterday are the wood floors, Farrow & Ball paint colors, amazing kitchen, and brass hardware.

The very best part of 55 Union Street is that you can rent the house from HomeAway and and experience it for yourself. I may have to see when it’s free next year.

The photos in this post are a mix of those I took myself during my visit and others from Sparrow Design to give you the full picture. There are some great sites that go into more detail on the renovation and preservation including Nantucket Preservation Trust and Archipedia in New England.