Salem’s House of the Seven Gables Receives 50-Year Plan to Help Structure Adapt to Climate Change

The Preserving History project in Salem is helping one of America's historic homes adapt to climate change.

The famous House of the Seven Gables, also called the Turner-Ingersoll Mansion, received a 50-year phased plan to help the historic structure withstand the impacts of sea-level rise in Salem Harbor. Union Studio collaborated on the project with the House of the Seven Gables Association, which operates a museum on the site of the home made famous in a gothic novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

The report studied the 2.5-acre block on Salem Harbor, which includes the Hawthorne Birthplace, the Hooper-Hathaway House, and other historic structures, in addition to the House of the Seven Gables.

According to Public Square: A CNU Journal, the plan relies on several action items related to the probability of annual flooding as the "trigger" to begin each new project phase.

"The immediate steps mostly involve basement adaptation, protection of utilities, stormwater management, and other temporary measures," explained Public Square editor Robert Steutville. "Building relocations throughout the five phases will enhance walkability and the public realm in the historic Point Neighborhood of Salem. In the end, all buildings will be grouped around a courtyard with a new visitor's center, and the flood-prone harbor-facing part of the block will consist of green, open space."

The 50-year phased plan also outlined the following activities over the next several decades:

The project team that developed the plan included insights from climate scientists, engineers, preservationists, Salem community members, and urban planners.