The structural integrity of two buildings along Beach Road Extension in Vineyard Haven is questionable, according to Tisbury building inspector Ken Barwick.
Mr. Barwick told The Times he intends to press Douglas family patriarch Robert Douglas to get an evaluation from a structural engineer for 3 Water St., a concrete garage, and 20 Beach Road Ext., a wooden house that is situated on a parcel with the Black Dog Tavern and other buildings. Douglas family members own the property at both addresses through a real estate trust.
Both buildings rest in the heart of the Vineyard Haven waterfront, in an area of heavy pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Tourists stream by the buildings during the season along Beach Road Extension and through an alleyway that connects various Black Dog enterprises.
Mr. Barwick said he surveyed the buildings with Fire Chief John Schilling and health agent Maura Valley in the fall of 2016, and found their condition unsettling. He said they met Mr. Douglas at the time, and Mr. Barwick advised him to consult an engineer and get a report on the condition of both buildings. He hasn’t heard from Mr. Douglas since then, and while not eager to compel him to act, he finds it necessary, he said. To that end, he said he plans to serve Mr. Douglas with an official letter demanding a third-party evaluation of the buildings.
Chief Schilling told The Times his concern rests primarily with the wooden structure at 20 Beach Road Extension that sits directly behind the garage. “There is no question there are some significant life-safety hazards associated with the use and occupancy of that building,” he said.
Chief Schilling said he didn’t relish taking enforcement action against Mr. Douglas, but that the situation could warrant it should the condition of the building remain unimproved.
Ms. Valley said she deemed the wooden structure unsuitable for habitation, and asked Mr. Douglas if any of his employees resided in the building. Mr. Douglas told her none did, nor did he plan to let any do so in the future, she said.
The wooden structure is listed as both mixed-use and single-family on the Tisbury assessor’s card. The card also indicates two bathrooms with showers and two washers and dryers are in the building, for dock use. The Secretary of State’s office lists Coastwise Packet Co., Inc., and Black Dog Business Trust at 20 Beach Road Extension, while the Black Dog Tavern Co. Inc. is listed simply at Beach Road Extension. Of those entities, only a weatherbeaten sign for Coastwise Packet, a sailing company that appears to operate the Shenandoah and Alabama, hangs on the building in question. Corner Five Surf Co., Black Dog Gear, and the Black Dog Boat Museum occupy various portions of the garage.
The wooden building’s exterior show walls smothered in ivies and trumpet vine, teetering exterior stairs (and a similarly angled interior set observable from the street via an open doorway), a broken chimney, separated corner trim, and heavily weathered paint, while the garage shows extensively crumbled concrete, blistered and peeling sash windows, and just inside the doorway to the Black Dog Boat Museum, a roof hole and a rotted-through rafter. The degraded state of the two buildings contrasts sharply with the well-groomed appearance of the adjacent Black Dog Tavern, Bakery, and General Store, which sport tidy paint jobs and are linked by a alleyway of crushed clamshell that is neatly raked and devoid of weeds.
The concrete garage once was known as the Dukes County Garage, an automotive salesroom and repair shop erected in the early 20th century, according to photo archivist Chris Baer. Bow Van Riper of the Martha’s Vineyard Museum said he believed the garage was erected by LeGrand Lockwood Aldrich. Mr. Baer said his research seems to indicate the wooden building behind the garage was both a pool hall and a dwelling owned by Mr. Aldrich. Both buildings were purchased by Mr. Douglas personally before he transferred them to into a trust, records at the Dukes County Registry of Deeds show.
Town administrator Jay Grande told The Times he was aware of the inspection undertaken by the health, building, and fire departments last autumn, but wasn’t aware that the inspection might result in formal correspondence or action by those departments. He said since code enforcement is the root of the matter, either step is well within the purview of the three departments, and does not require input or permission from his office or the selectmen to move forward. Nevertheless, he said, he expects to be informed on any decisions those departments make on the Douglas buildings.
Despite repeated attempts, The Times was unable to contact Mr. Douglas. Black Dog staff and other members of the Douglas family declined to comment on the buildings.
