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@forminghope

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M.Arch + MHP @ UF | Graduate Research Assistant
Historic Preservation + Cultural Heritage
Places, people & stories worth remembering. ♡

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A little life update!

I’ve officially been appointed as a Graduate Research Assistant with the University of Florida Historic Preservation Program, where I’ll be supporting grant-funded research for the Preservation Institute Nantucket.

After spending this summer in Nantucket conducting preservation research, it feels especially full-circle to be able to continue that work back at UF while pursuing my M.Arch + MHP.

Very grateful for where this path is taking me. 🤎
#HistoricPreservation #GraduateResearchAssistant #UniversityOfFlorida #PreservationInstituteNantucket
#Architecture by @forminghope

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2 months ago

The Nantucket Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum preserves the stories of the island’s lifesavers, rescue crews, and shipwrecks through historic boats, equipment, maps, and artifacts. And naturally, I was just as obsessed with the weathered shingles, exposed timber framing, and beautifully preserved station itself.

#NantucketHistory #MaritimeHistory #HistoricPreservation #MuseumLover #NantucketIsland taken in Nantucket, Massachusetts by @forminghope

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2 months ago

A large part of my work in Nantucket has happened behind the scenes—inside deed books, probate files, tax records, archival indexes, maps, and a growing wall of notes that only became more complicated as the summer continued.

My research focuses on several of Nantucket’s Black and multiracial families, including the Pompey, Porte, Pierce, Crawford, and Godfrey families. Rather than finding their histories neatly preserved in one place, I have had to reconstruct them record by record: tracing marriages and relatives, following property transfers, comparing deed boundaries with historic maps, and looking for the same names across decades of documents.

What may begin as one name in an index can eventually reveal a house, a parcel of land, a family relationship, or a connection between several generations. This process has reminded me that archival research is rarely linear. It involves following small clues, revisiting earlier assumptions, and sometimes covering an entire wall in paper before the pieces begin to make sense.

These records do more than establish ownership. Together, they help recover where people lived, what they built, how property moved through their families, and how their lives shaped Nantucket’s historic landscape.

#HistoricPreservation
#ArchivalResearch
#NantucketHistory
#BlackHistory
#PublicHistory taken in Nantucket, Massachusetts by @forminghope

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2 months ago

A day in 'Sconset

We spent the day walking through the historic parts of Siasconset, learning how the village developed as a place of escape from the busier and much smellier whaling town of Nantucket. Over time, it became especially popular with wealthier residents and summer visitors looking for fresh ocean air, quiet lanes, and distance from town.

We also walked the historic Bluff Walk, a narrow public footpath winding between private homes, gardens, and the edge of the Atlantic. Between the weathered shingles, rose-covered cottages, and ocean views, 'Sconset almost feels too picturesque to be real but learning the history behind it made the landscape much more interesting than simply looking at pretty houses.

Definitely one of the most beautiful parts of the island I’ve explored so far.

#Nantucket #Siasconset #HistoricPreservation #ArchitecturalHistory #BluffWalk taken in Nantucket, Massachusetts by @forminghope

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2 months ago

One of my favorite parts of visiting the African Meeting House was seeing it still being used as a place for music, gathering, and community.

It’s one thing to learn the history of a building, but it feels completely different to sit inside it, watch people fill the space, and see that its purpose is still alive. Moments like this remind me that preservation is not just about saving buildings—it’s about protecting the stories, memories, and community life connected to them.

#AfricanMeetingHouse
#NantucketHistory
#HistoricPreservation
#BlackHeritage
#LivingHistory taken in Nantucket, Massachusetts by @forminghope

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3 months ago

Stopped inside St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and was immediately drawn to the contrast between its heavy stone exterior and the warmth of the interior. Built in the early 1900s, the church combines Richardsonian Romanesque architecture, exposed dark timber framing, pointed arches, and stained glass created by the Tiffany, Connick, and Willet studios.
It’s one of those buildings that feels completely different once you cross the threshold—and naturally, I spent most of my time staring upward at the structure.
#NantucketArchitecture
#HistoricPreservation
#StPaulsNantucket
#SacredArchitecture
#ArchitectureStudent taken in Nantucket, Massachusetts by @forminghope

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3 months ago

Found this beauty while walking through town
The Coffin School at 4 Winter Street. Founded in 1827 through a gift from Admiral Sir Isaac Coffin, the school originally provided education for Nantucket’s descendants. The current Greek Revival brick building was erected in 1852, and its preservation allows the site to continue telling a story that stretches back nearly two centuries.
#NantucketHistory
#HistoricPreservation
#CoffinSchool
#ArchitectureStudent
#NantucketArchitecture taken in Nantucket, Massachusetts by @forminghope

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3 months ago

From the outside, it looks simple and quiet, but inside it’s all massive beams, gears, shafts, and hand-built connections working together. Seeing the structure up close made me appreciate how much engineering is hidden inside historic architecture—and how preservation lets us experience more than just the pretty exterior.
Definitely one of those places that reminds you old buildings are not just “old.” They’re evidence of how people built, worked, and solved problems long before modern technology.
#Nantucket
#HistoricPreservation
#OldMill
#ArchitecturalHistory
#PreservationInProgress taken in Nantucket, Massachusetts by @forminghope

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3 months ago

Walking through Nantucket's historic district is a reminder that preservation happens at multiple scales. While individual buildings often receive the most attention, the character of a place is also shaped by its streets, sidewalks, trees, fences, and public spaces.

The district's cobblestone streets, stone sidewalks, and historic architecture work together to create an environment that feels distinct from much of modern development. Preserving these elements helps maintain not only the appearance of the island, but also its sense of history and place.
#HistoricPreservation
#Nantucket
#HistoricArchitecture
#PublicHistory
#architecturestudent taken in Nantucket, Massachusetts by @forminghope

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3 months ago

It's easy to think of Nantucket as beaches and cobblestone streets, but the Whaling Museum reminds you that this island was once connected to the entire world. Every artifact, lens, ship, and weathered timber carries a story of risk, ambition, and survival. 🌊
#nantucket
#nantucketwhalingmuseum
#historicpreservation
#architecturehistory
#maritimehistory taken in Nantucket Island by @forminghope

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4 months ago

it’s quiet because it doesn’t need to explain itself
#architecture
#materiality
#architecturaldetails
#thresholds
#quietarchitecture taken in Gainesville, Florida by @forminghope

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5 months ago

not everything has to announce itself to be good
this one doesn’t try to impress you
it just lets you notice
the way light is filtered instead of exposed
how materials sit next to each other without competing
how even the smallest details feel considered, not decorated
it’s quiet
but not empty
and that restraint…
is what makes it feel complete
#architecture
#midcenturymodern
#architecturalphotography
#materiality
#designinspiration by @forminghope

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5 months ago