Valentines Day Nantucket Island

Freedoms of Nantucket

Little Known Treasures

November/December 2007

Nantucket Lovers,

We're onto NEW BEGINNIGS. Never forgetting OLD TRADITIONS.

Thanks for Giving Century House a rewarding season. Those of you who have stayed with us know how much of a family we are. We now celebrate not only the Season 2007 closure of the inn in its 2007 Season, but also the return of all of our staff to their homes. Staffers Jillian DiPilla returned to U Ma to continue her degree; senior staffer Gloria Savizon and Sharmaine Bignall returned to their families in Jamaica; and innkeeper Gerry returned last week and put a smile on innkeeperette JeanE's face, followed only a few days after the return of Director of Marketing Otilia Herput to PB for the winter. Otilia is seen welcomed by the Allman Brothers Group drummer Butch Trucks and innkeeperette/PB Corcoran Group Realtor Jean Ellen - who is preparing for a showing of his PB property shown in the background.

Guess

2008 CELEBRATION SURPRISE:

Give a Guess and let us know what the following events have in common with the Century House:

- The January 23 Retaking of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic:
- Andrew Jackson's swearing in for his second term as President;
- The British Parliament passing the Slavery Abolition Act giving all slaves in the British Empire their freedom; and the enactment of the Factory Acts limiting child labour in Britain.

- The three year old Isabella 11 becomes Queen of Spain

- The Leonid meteor snowing on Alabama.

- The major 8.7 earthquake striking in Sumatra.

- The city of Chicago being established at the estuary of the Chicago river by 350 settlers.

Old Traditions, New Beginnings

Another new transformation is occuring only a block down the street from Century House and across the street from the White Elephant Residences...
We welcome the new, evolving Point Breeze Hotel/Condominium.

Remarkably, the innkeepers, (confident of their selection of Century House as the premiere location on the Island back in 1984 when they first took over the day to day responsibilities of the inn) are discovering that not only the aforementioned NIR White Elephant Residences enterprise is in full swing, so is an unrelated venture across its streets (and again only 4 houses away from Century House).

The Point Breeze venture, restoring the old grand dame "Point Breeze Hotel" (originally constructed in the late 1800's) to its former glory for the Island Traveler, and is also offering Hotel/Condominium units. Its developers Bob and Mia Matthews, who live across the street from Century House on Nantucket Island are creating a boutique hotel/condominium with units starting at approximately $1,000,000. So why not enjoy the ambience of the Century House and indulge in the amenities of these enterprises that selected our neighborhood as THEIR PREMIERE NANTUCKET HISTORIC LOCATIONS!!

Rosebud Metamorphosis into the New White Narcissus

Beauty is skin deep... except, in this case, it goes much deeper. Yearly innkeeper Gerry chooses a room for a complete makeover. We don't draw straws or anything; we simply look around, take a few notes and decide which one inspires Gerry to a new level.

For the 2008 season we decided Rosebud should become White Narcissus, complete with crisp white and yellow tones of Narcissus.

No two rooms are alike at Century House. Innkeeper Gerry, trained as an architect, combs the pages of Architectural Digest, Veranda, Martha Stewart Living and Coastal Living and others to enrich his design with Century House sophisticated clientele in mind. Some examples include his choice of wall coverings mixing stripes with floral, multi-textured fabrics and colors, chandeliers, sconses, and high hats...who would ever think of an enmese onyx floor in your bath such as the case of the beauties Daffodil and Partritdge Berry. These new rooms are not your average look. They're luxurious, uniquely decorated, a mix of the old and the new, home-like, comfortable with modern amenities. Each of our rooms is not just a place to stay but work of art hung with original works of art

Other recent makeovers include Partridge Berry, Red Dahlia, Black Orchid, Thistle, etc. Watch for the White Narcissus "Coming out Party."

2008 CALENDARS HERE

Do you ever find yourself asking everyone "what day is 'today?'" Or worse, "what date"? As if we can remember one more thing. Well, now you can find out for yourself. Easily. Our annual calendars adhesive strip is back in time for 2008. It's with a new date of course. We just thought we'd help. So we ordered plenty of calendars for all our past, present, and future guests. They come in handy, and there is no cost.

To receive one all you have to do is e-mail us your name and address atcenturybnb@aol.com or make a 2008 reservation.

Historic Century House

The historic Century House dates back to the Cliff Road land purchase in 1833. According to research performed by Edouard A. Stackpole, renowned Nantucket historian and former director of the Peter Foulger Museum, a member of an old Nantucket family of Scottish roots, Captain Robert Calder, built the Century House. Over the years, Capt. Calder took part in several long, successful voyages to hunt whale, and eventually completed the construction of the house in the early 1840's. It is said that Capt. Calder chose this site because of the privacy, the ocean breezes, the views, and the genuine serenity the location provided in the 1840's and still exhibits today. According to Mr. Stackpole, the Century House is the oldest continuously operating guesthouse on Nantucket Island to date. Visit www.centuryhouse.com for details. Season begins May 15 and ends October 15.

HIDDEN TREASURES
Nantucket Island Philanthropists

Philanthropists come in so many colors and shades; and Innkeepers Gerry and JeanE - livng in two oasis of philanthropy have seen it all --- in this issue we acknowledge the gift of Summer Residents - Wendy and Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google - in purchasing the property in Nantucket's downtown historic district to house the Nantucket Rapid Transit Authority (NRTA) as a gift to the Island... With goals to decrease automobile traffic and congestion, as well as the number of vehicles on Island, Nantucket created the NRTA , a series of shuttle buses that reach out over many of the beaches and highlights of the Island fom May to October. A gift to tourists and Islanders alike, the service has grown to such a point that a central "hub" was required and the town- in a referendum vote this winter- failed to receive the needed votes to acquire the designated property in the downtown area.

So Wendy and Eric Schmidt, CEO of GOOGLE who live a few houses north of Century House on Cliff Road (and very near the former home of painter Eastman Johnson (see story in October 2006 CH Newsletter or read here) purchased the property for the Island!!!

Thanks for Giving Wendy and Eric Schmidt.

The Hidden Treasure???? The fact that some of our Summer Residents are also the biggest supporters of the preservation of the Nantucket way of life.

NEIGHBORHOOD NOSTALGIA

WHAT: 1 ROOM
WHEN: 4/11/81.

RATE: $45.00

WHERE: HARBOR HOUSE

Pictured above you will see a bill from 1981 when JeanE and her mother came to stay there. The room cost $45.00 + tax. Nowadays $45.00 dollars will get you to Nantucket in an hour, by ferry but you'll have to swim back to Hyannis. Prices have changed on Nantucket.

Hang on for the surprise below.

Oh the memories. Harbor House Village has been our neighbors for years. Many of our guests would visit it for some meeting or other, or most recently the Harbor Wok Restaurant, the only Chinese food on the island.

Thanks for giving us such special memories. Pictured is a bill Innkeeperette JeanE paid when she came to Nantucket with her Mom in 1981 to purchase " a little bit of the turf" in Sconset on Nantucket Island. Although the Century House was just around the corner, it wasn't opened at the time and little did she know her future fate as its innkeeperette. Alas, speed forward 26 years and find this nostalgic mainstay on the Island , the Harbor House, owned and operated by Nantucket Island Resorts (NIR) transforming itself into a new venue as the upcoming White Elephant RESIDENCES Condominiums also owned and marketed by our neighbors, the Nantucket Island Resort (NIR). Located just 4 houses away from the Century House, we welcome our old neighbors in transition to their new status!

Harbor House was built originally as a hotel, renting rooms to the island traveler. In 2006 was acquired by Nantucket Island Resorts. Harbor House been a great neighbor in times of need.

The new condominiums residences will start at $1,000,000. For those of you interested, don't forget to come by. You'll be just a "hop and a skip" from the best homemade chocolate chip cookies on the island.

GIFT CERTIFICATES