Jared Coffin House, a former whaling shipowner's home located in the heart of Nantucket, MA, expanded in August with the opening of five new accommodations. Additionally, the Tap Room, a fixture in the downtown dining scene for more than four decades (but on hiatus for 14 years) reopened at the property earlier in the season.
Celebrating 175 years, the three-story Jared Coffin House is a brick mansion that offers a total immersion into Nantucket’s whaling history. Nantucket local resident Audrey Sterk was the interior designer selected to ensure careful preservation of the pre-Civil War landmark, while incorporating the island’s nautical feel into the design of the new accommodations.
New Accommodations
While the property’s footprint remained the same (retaining the historic architecture of the 19th-century building), portions of the ground floor were transformed from a former restaurant space into the new accommodations.
In the individually designed rooms, custom furniture including four-poster king beds, tulip-style coffee tables and walnut brown desks with lacquered inlay have been paired with original refurbished wood floors from the 1840s. An extensive collection of original oil paintings is also displayed—each piece hand-selected by the hotel’s owners to highlight Nantucket’s whaling days.
For those looking for extra privacy, one suite has a private entrance that can be connected with another guestroom to create a two-bedroom option.
Honoring Influential Women
The Jared Coffin House is steps away from what was historically called "Petticoat Row." Men of the whaling heyday were out to sea for years at a time, spurring the ladies to become entrepreneurs that operated in the area close to the hotel. So, as a nod to the island’s history-making females, each of the four new suites is named after influential women. For example, accommodations pay homage to Anna Gardner and Lucretia Coffin Mott. Gardner was instrumental in calling an anti-slavery meeting in 1841 in which Frederick Douglass gave his first speech as an abolitionist speaker. Mott participated in the country's first meeting about women's rights in 1848.
Or, guests can opt for the Maria Mitchell suite, honoring the first professional female astronomer who opened her own school in 1835 that was desegregated, a controversial move at the time. The Mary Coffin Starbuck suite celebrates the woman recognized as the individual who brought Quakerism to Nantucket in the early 1700s. She ran the family’s trading post that served as the island’s commercial center.
Return of the Tap Room
The 2020 season also has brought changes in dining at the hotel. The Tap Room, located on the lower level of the hotel, beneath the lobby, has been resurrected. A popular gathering spot for locals and visitors alike for more than 40 years, the restaurant shuttered in the early 2000s.
Boston-based Carroll Design Studio redesigned the pub-style outpost, which now offers indoor and outdoor dining. An exposed brick wall is paired with ocean blue and cream shiplap that provides the backdrop for hanging bare bulbs and original dark-wood ceiling beams. A semi-circle bar is at the heart of the space with tan-colored dining booths lining the perimeter.
The menu offers a modern interpretation of celebrated Tap Room staples, including traditional New England clam chowder, French dip sandwiches, grilled local swordfish and Welsh Rarebit consisting of melted cheese poured over slices of toasted bread. A full-service bar with beers from the local Cisco Brewery and craft cocktails like Nantucket Red Margaritas are also offered.
A Storied History
Originally constructed in 1845, the Jared Coffin House was the first mansion built on Nantucket. In its almost 200-year history, many distinguished guests have passed through the doors, including "Moby Dick" author, Herman Melville and president Ulysses S. Grant.
The Jared Coffin House as guests know it today arrived in 2004 when it became part of White Elephant Resorts. Today, it's a centerpiece of the Nantucket Historic District. Guests enjoy access to a complimentary BMW courtesy car and use of bicycles.
The Jared Coffin House's main building closes for the season on December 7, while the adjacent Daniel Webster building—with 13 rooms—is open year-round.
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