Martha’s Vineyard Museum begins site work at old Marine Hospital

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The new home of the Martha's Vineyard Museum, now visible for all to see, features a commanding view of the lagoon and harbor. — Photo by Ralph Stewart

Groundwork preparations for the Martha’s Vineyard Museum’s (MVM) future move to the old U.S. Marine Hospital in Tisbury are in full swing.

Over the past week, a crew from Beetlebung Tree Care cleared away overgrown brush and some trees to reveal the original terraces on the property along Lagoon Pond Road, plus an unimpeded view of the old building. At the same time, a crew from Brickstone Construction brought in fill and leveled out the grounds in front of the hospital building.

“Both groups have done a terrific job,” building committee chairman Denys Wortman said yesterday. “We’re getting the place ready so that we can have the grounds looking nice and ready in time to have our Evening of Discovery fundraiser there on June 30.”

Mr. Wortman said workers would finish adding loam and install a sprinkler system, in preparation for turf to be delivered and laid down soon.

MVM purchased the 4.4-acre property off Lagoon Pond Road last fall from the St. Pierre family, who ran a summer camp at the property from 1959 to 2007. The museum plans to renovate the original white building after removing its brick wing, add a new structure to the north side, and build a large shed in back to house large objects.

“As far as any work on the building, not much is going to happen right now,” Mr. Wortman said. “A lot will happen over the next year or two. The project is going to be done in stages, with the restoration of the white building done first.”

South Mountain Company is overseeing the project and teaming up with Oudens Ello Architecture on preliminary designs.