Updated March 12
While no formal plans have been put forward, there is an indication that Stop & Shop is resurrecting plans to renovate its Vineyard Haven location, which has long been in the works.
Representatives with Stop & Shop were before the Martha’s Vineyard Commission on Thursday, March 7, with plans to move a historic house that currently sits next to the Tisbury grocery store.
The Caleb Prouty House is a rundown building constructed in the 1800s, located at 15 Cromwell Lane. The proposed plan is to move the house from its current location to 187 Lagoon Pond Road.
Legal representative for Stop & Shop Geoghan Coogan stated during the Thursday meeting the grocery chain had not decided yet how to develop the space that would be left behind by the historic home. In 2013, it looked at expanding the Vineyard Haven property by constructing an over-20,000-square-foot, two-story market. The construction would have consisted of 43 parking spaces at the ground level, with an upstairs retail area.
“I’ve seen things over the last couple of years, but I can tell you, there’s nothing on paper right now,” Coogan said.
Whether to move the house has been a question fermenting for years. Stop & Shop purchased the Caleb Prouty House in 2012, and in 2013, consultants hired by the commission determined the house was eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Caleb Prouty House is listed in the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System (MACRIS), run by the Massachusetts Historical Commission. According to the registry, the Greek Revival–style house was likely constructed between 1844 and 1855 for a mariner named Caleb Prouty. It was built in a style typical for residences in Vineyard Haven during the mid-19th century, and is one of a “small cluster of buildings” that survived an 1883 fire that destroyed over 70 buildings.
Stop & Shop has considered both relocating the house and demolishing the house over the years, although MVC chair Fred Hancock said the grocery store chain suspended its plans for the Vineyard Haven store location while figuring out a solution for the house about 10 years ago. Eventually, the issue continued, in a renewed effort to renovate the Vineyard Haven Stop & Shop in 2019.
Hancock told The Times that Stop & Shop was figuring out what to do with the house during the time gap. “They read the tea leaves pretty well that the commission was not going to let them demolish the house,” he said.
The idea of potentially demolishing the building resurfaced as well in 2019, as noted in a 2019 letter from Stop & Shop’s attorney.
“Stop & Shop is committed to a development of this site, but in order to determine what can or cannot be done with the project, this structure must be removed,” the letter reads. However, Coogan did mention during a 2020 meeting with the commission that the grocery chain prefers relocating the building.
The matter has also been pushed back several times because Stop & Shop was focused on expanding its Edgartown location.
“Stop & Shop is focused on finishing our Edgartown store remodel, and we look forward to celebrating the grand reopening with the community in April,” Stop & Shop spokesperson Stephanie Cunha told The Times. “We have no additional information to share regarding our Vineyard Haven location at this time.”
There have been a number of changes on the property over the years — such as the majority of the house’s yard being graveled over for parking space — which is noted in a 2023 relocation permit application packet the Rhode Island–based Public Archaeology Laboratory, a nonprofit corporation that conducted an archaeological survey of the Caleb Prouty House, submitted to the Massachusetts Historical Commission.
In the latest effort to move the house, Stop & Shop is jointly applying for the relocation with Amelia Hambrecht, the property owner of the Lagoon Pond Road property. Alongside the relocation, the house would be restored, and Hambrecht wants to move the kitchen.
Most of the public correspondence the commission has received so far are calls for additional information regarding the proposed plans. There has been support as well. A 2023 letter from the Tisbury Historical Commission advocated for the preservation of the home.
One of the main issues brought up by abutters was how the restoration process would occur, and how much of the original house would be protected, including needing more details on how the moved kitchen would look.
“I think there are adjustments that do have a negative impact on the historic character proponent is saying they’re going to preserve,” Kyle Sheffield, an abutter and principal at architecture and engineering firm Blue Hour Design, said. “There’s also a lack of information as to how much of that preservation and how it’s going to actually go about.”
Another issue raised was that the new location is in a low-lying area, and puts the house at a potentially higher risk of flooding compared with its current location.
After further discussion, the commissioners decided to continue the hearing on April 4 after receiving additional information, including an updated design for the relocated building.
Updated with a statement from Stop & Shop.
I’m assuming that this article was focused on the issue of moving the Caleb Prouty house. I suppose there will be a lot more to come when the Stop and Shop presents their plans for the new supermarket. That’s when everyone can share their opinions on this topic. So I’ll just wait for that.
Give us a heads up, What should Stop & Shop do?
The constraints of the site, its location as the gateway to the Island, proximity to the SSA terminal, and flood prone Five Corners make this an impossible design challenge for the scale Stop & Shop seems to have in mind. Will the MVC really approve a 20,000 sq.ft. enlargement of the store there? Parking anyone? This wouldn’t be 10 lb in a 5 lb bag. More like 25 lb. Talk about changing the character of the Island.
Amazing all the discussion over a building that nobody sees. 99.9% of anyone coming into VH will ever see or know about this building. But everyone sees the horrible condition of the Stop & Shop and that does not seem to be a problem. VH likes the old ugly building and will try and keep it once again. Sad for the island this is the first thing people see getting off the boat.
Why the Island wants to hold on to all of this old crap is beyond me. Tear it all down and build new.
Bob– Nice to see that we agree on something.
A few notions: Move it to the old Tisbury Fire Station lot. Fix it, add on creatively, and let people live in it. What a thought. Tisbury can supply the land, The Stop and Shop can contribute the building and moving expenses and write a nice big check to help pay for repairs and renovations to the the MV Preservation Trust, who can be in charge of the project and get another building for their portfolio. Or it could go to the MV Housing Trust.
Read the article. The building is being moved down the street to become housing.
How about moving it up to the old Nobnocket Garage location across from RD Crane… Thomas Hodgson your playing fast and loose with town property that they won’t be able to sell. Plus ITS NOT BIG ENOUGH ! As for five corners… please ! It’s been flooding since records have been kept on weather… it floods worse in Peabody for God sake.. A former town selectman sand bagged the last deal… move it out to high ground.. buy it from the bank that owns it ..
Please note that the yard being “graveled over”was paved, not graveled. What used to be a permeable surface is a chute pouring all the stormwater it receives straight into five corners.
It is also worth noting that no town review was done before it was paved.
I hope the Stop and Shop is not coming back with another 20,000 sq.ft., massive, tall building. There was a lot of opposition to this project in 2013. Try to visualize what the first plan looked like. It would certainly have dominated the neighborhood. For a 20,000 sq.ft. store, 43 spaces is not adequate. In light of rising oceans, more frequent flooding, and climate change, what they really need is a dock.
What we really need is for the Stop and Shop to keep the store relatively small, elevate it, and respect the town’s parking limitations in that spot. It is not the Stop and Shop’s parking lot. It belongs to Tisbury. We must work together to make the new store fit in with the neighborhood.
I sure hope that S&S will be able to renovate this time.
Burn it get over these old dumps